Monday 4 March 2019 12:36pm
Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta with one of the University of Otago’s frames as part of Te Matatini in Wellington last month.
A group of the University of Otago’s Māori staff and students are singing the praises of the biggest kapa haka event in the world held at Westpac Stadium last month.
The University had a stall at Te Matatini, a biennial event that is dubbed the ‘World Cup of kapa haka’. The event attracts the top 46 kapa teams from throughout the country for a four-day competition watched on by tens of thousands of spectators.
Māori Centre manager Pearl Matahiki (Ngāti Porou) says the Wellington event was an incredible for success both for Te Matatini and the University.
"The number of people interested in Māori postgraduate study was awe-inspiring because our people are looking ahead to their studies or doing something different."
“The number of people interested in Māori postgraduate study was awe-inspiring because our people are looking ahead to their studies or doing something different,” Mrs Matahiki says.
As well as offering advice on study, the roopū (group) also ran a lifesize photo frame competition to win prizes that included University hoodies, scarves – and a bucket of muttonbirds.
Samantha Pakipaki-Utiera (of Taranaki and Ngāti Maniapoto descent) represented the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce students in Wellington.
She says the event is an important opportunity to enlighten prospective Māori staff, students and researchers about the siginficant network of Māori at the University.
“I think the thing that really blew people away was the statistics we had on Māori students which we proudly had on the show,” she says.
Chayce Glass (Ngapuhi and Ngāti Wai) who is studying towards a Bachelor of Health Science majoring in Medicine, agrees. He says alleviating the fears of families around the distance was a significant operation.
"I think the thing that really blew people away was the statistics we had on Māori students which we proudly had on the show."
“It was important for me that we got the message across that other tauira Māori amd kaimahi Māori become your whānau when you are down there, so you will always have tautoko and aroha from what will become your Otago whanau,” Chayce says.
Mrs Matahiki says the statistics detailing the more-than 2000 Māori students surprised a number of people.
“Overall, Te Matatini was a great event and it was nice to talk to a lot of parents and grandparents about their whanaunga,” she adds. “A stadium full of Māori people – people were just buzzing on that factor alone.”
For Samantha, the opportunity to represent Otago at the festival also provided her with the opportunity to network with Māori leaders from across a number of different backgrounds.
“To learn more about the initiatives and work that Māori people are doing around the country was very inspiring and definitely made me think more about what I want to do after I graduate.”
Auckland’s Eden Park will host the next event in 2021, after local group Ngā Tumanako won the coveted title in Wellington.