2023 Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata Final

Television (Excerpts) – 2023

So precise, so professional, so Apanui. And they had the crowd in the palm of their hands...
– Commentator Scotty Morrison praises Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, at the end of this clip

Put it this way — if sport has the Olympics, kapa haka has Te Matatini. Items are closely guarded and Gloyne says it is an unspoken rule to keep ideas and tunes to yourself.
– Journalist Katie Doyle talks to Māori orator Paraone Gloyne about the significance of Te Matatini, Stuff, 22 February 2023

The growing interest in Te Matatini is from a diverse audience. People love the interaction that kapa haka provides. We held a mass haka on one of the days at the festival and everyone on the stands and sitting in front of the stage stood to participate. It was a wonderful sight to see.
– Te Matatini Chief Executive Carl Ross on Te Matatini's popularity, NZ Herald, 22 May 2023

Thousands of hours would have been spent in composing, teaching, rehearsing and organising 40 performers. First to qualify at their regional competition, then to prepare a single performance compressed into 30 minutes for the national stage.
– Te Matatini website