The theme song for Te Matatini next month is released. Video / Loop
L.A.B. and Corrella have recorded We Belong as the official song for Te Matatini 2025.
The waiata emphasises unity and spiritual strength, featuring vocals by Joel Shadbolt and Pipiwharauroa Campbell.
Te Matatini, the largest Māori performing arts festival, will be held next month in New Plymouth.
Two of New Zealand’s hottest bands, L.A.B. and Corrella, have teamed up to record the official song for Te Matatini 2025.
We Belong emphasises the collective strength and spiritual unity represented by the event and the host New Plymouth iwi.
Te Matatini, the biennial national kapa haka festival, is the largest celebration of Māori performing arts excellence and We Belong is the event’s theme song.
Featuring vocals led by Joel Shadbolt (L.A.B.) and Pipiwharauroa and Ngawaiwera Campbell (Corrella), the waiata embraces the unity and togetherness Te Matatini brings.
Team Angitu perform during Te Matati. Photo / Kiriana Eparaima-Hautapu, Te Matatini
Pipiwharauroa Campbell – (Pipi) (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti He, Ngāti Pukenga) from Corrella – told the Herald kapa haka was in his whānau blood line.
“Kapa haka was a staple for myself growing up. Unlike my sisters, who have stood many times on the stage, I have yet to stand on the big stage of Te Matatini. One day I do hope to when life settles down,” he said.
“Also there’s a sense that when they hear that Te Matatini is coming along, whether it’s this year or the next, they feel like, ‘Hey, this is a place I belong to!’ Oh, and they actually enjoy the song, haha.”
Campbell said he hopes to attend Te Matatini 2025.
“I hope to catch the opening and maybe day one but after that we will be heading over the ditch as part of the L.A.B. Australian tour. But I will definitely be watching.”
As the song is recorded mainly in English, Campbell hopes it will have more appeal to non-Māori speaking whānau.
“It was intentional as Te Matatini wanted to capture a wider audience, so in many ways this song is a little bit different to other Matatini songs with it being predominantly in English,” he said.
“Even though we have the utmost respect for the Māori language, this was to convey that even if you don’t speak te reo Māori, you still belong here at Te Matatini.
“This song was written as a dedication to Te Matatini and belongs to everyone here in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad.
“It touches on the stories we tell using kapa haka and the feeling you get from watching and being at Te Matatini, and we ask that all come and share in this.
“We also pay homage to where Te Matatini is being held this year – under Taranaki Maunga. Te Kāhui Maunga, kāhui tupua, kāhui wairua.”
Shadbolt agrees.
“We went into the studio in September to work on the waiata, and working with the Corrella team was an awesome experience. We really wanted to capture the vibe and unity that Te Matatini brings to Aotearoa, and We Belong is the result.
“Te Matatini is something that we as New Zealanders are incredibly proud of, and hopefully this waiata can help bring a taste of Te Matatini to people across Aotearoa and the world.”
Tā Herewini (Sir Selwyn) Parata, the chair of Te Matatini, says: “It’s exciting to have Corrella and L.A.B. collaborate on the official waiata for Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga, He Kāhui Tupua, He Kāhui Wairua 2025.
“The waiata We Belong is about kotahitanga (unity) and champions a place for us all in Aotearoa, including a place for te reo Māori and traditional Māori performing arts. Te Matatini is where we belong.”
