Editorial: Decision hard on Rotorua

No one can do it like Rotorua can.

That's why it's disappointing Te Matatini Society has decided to share the hosting rights of the national kapa haka championships.

It means Rotorua won't hold the big event again until 2037.

Changes to the festival's national roster, put in place by Te Matatini Society this week, will now see each of New Zealand's 12 kapa haka rohe (regions) host the biennial event, with the last regions to host being moved to the back of the queue.

That's a blow for Rotorua after holding one of the best events in history this year. It attracted 40,000 people and was estimated to have brought in between $15 million and $20 million to the local economy over four days.

While the new system seems all lovely and fair, some regions in New Zealand just won't cut it.

They not only don't have the facilities and accommodation, but they don't have the expertise.

Rotorua event organisers are slick operators, and not just when it comes to big-scale events such as Te Matatini.

I moonlight as a singer in a band and have played many a conference and private function throughout the North Island. At such functions and festivals, it's clear Rotorua is head and shoulders above anyone else when it comes to putting on events.

Our teams work like clockwork. They know the drill.

Smaller regions trying to host big events such as Te Matatini will simply be lost.

New Zealand is a small country and people can easily travel. There is no need to share around big festivals just for the sake of fairness.