Thousands welcomed to Te Matatini kapa haka nationals

WELCOME: A massive crowd was on hand for the Te Matatini pohiri in Christchurch.

The sun was out to greet more than 7000 people from across the country and Australia as they were welcomed to North Hagley Park in the heart of Christchurch at one of the biggest pohiri the South Island has seen in decades.

Yesterday's welcome for the National Maori Performing Arts Festival - known as Te Matatini - was full of emotion and pride as host tribes from the top to the bottom of the South Island performed haka and relished the opportunity of having the largest Maori gathering in the country on their doorstep.

Deputy chairwoman of the Waitaha cultural committee and project manager of the event Rangimarie Parata-Takurua said hosting the event was a "once in a generation experience".

"For us, we won't see Te Matatini back in Christchurch for another 24 years and it's awesome for our kids to see it up close and personal, because we only see it on TV down here and not many of our whanau are able to afford going up to it every two years."

The biennial Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival began in 1972 and is the nation's largest Maori performing arts event. This year 45 kapa haka teams battle it out on stage to determine one winner.

The theme this year is "he ngakau aroha", which means "a loving heart". Te Waipounamu iwi hope to express that through their hospitality, which started with the biggest feast any host had put on for the visitors. The menu included mussels, oysters, tuna, crayfish and more than 1200 mutton birds.

Te Matatini operations manager Puamiria Parata Goodall said it was one thing to write a letter and another to acknowledge someone in person.

"When we went to Te Matatini over two years ago with our proposal to host, that was on the basis that we felt that we needed the opportunity to say, face to face, thank you. Thank you for all the help that came our way post-earthquake and continues to come today."

Te Arawa kaumatua and senior judge Mauriora Kingi acknowledged the work of the host committee in the past two years since Te Arawa held the festival in Rotorua.

"They built this place from ground zero and the facilities are fantastic. The hospitality is also second to none."

Kingi also reflected on the significance of the venue to the six teams representing the Te Arawa region.

"Tuhourangi, led by chief Mita Taupopoki, came down to this very area in 1908 to help carve carvings for the New Zealand International Exhibition of Arts and Industries. They lived here for three months before returning home to build Rotowhio at Whakarewarewa."

The first of three pools in competition begins today, with teams vying for one of nine spots in Sunday's final.