February 19, 2019
Harvest in for Te Matatini hosting
The stage is built, the marae are booked, the kai has been gathered and Wellington iwi are preparing to welcome competitors and supporters for Te Matatini 2019.
Ngāti Toa Rangatira chair Taku Parai says it has taken a huge amount of planning and coordination among the three tribal groups to prepare.
He says people will remember the four days of kapa haka, and they will also remember the quality of the manaakitanga they experience.
That’s included in the debate over details such as whose rohe has the fattest kina.
"And I tell you, getting them out of the Cook Strait, you can't get them any fatter than that. Also the kaimoana, all the boys from the three iwi will bring their areas' delicacies to the table and ensure that particularly our kaumātua from other areas coming in to Whanganui-a-Tara are catered for and looked after, as well as your hot dogs and meat patties that will all be there as well," Mr Parai says.
The pōwhiri will be held tomorrow.
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