Cheat Sheet: Everything spectators need to know about Te Matatini

Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Te Matatini 2023 at Ngā Ana Wai Eden Park officially begins as Ngāti Wātua Ōrākei gives the opening karakia.

Te Matatini, the world’s largest kapa haka competition, is in full swing as almost 50 teams from across the country have come to Auckland to perform.

Read this story in te reo Māori and English here. / Pānuitia tēnei i te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ki konei.

The event – often described as the Olympics of kapa haka – began on Wednesday morning.

The competition will run over the next few days, with finals to be held on Saturday.

If you want to get in on the fun, here’s everything you need to know.

This year, Te Matatini is being held at Ngā Ana Wai, Eden Park, from Wednesday February 22 until Saturday 25 February.

Day passes range between $35 for Matapuuhou youth to $50 for adults. You can buy tickets here.

Each day kicks off with a karakia at 8am – before the first performers take the stage –and closes about 6pm.

There’s no assigned seating with General Admission tickets, so getting in early is a must.

Doors open from 7am and only low-level chairs and cushions are allowed on the ground area.

There is no public parking around Eden Park, so planning is a must.

Like all major concerts, a Te Matatini ticket gets you free travel on Auckland transport buses and trains around the city.

This free travel with your concert ticket will run from 5am until the end of the day for all four days of the event.

Just show your concert ticket to the Auckland Transport staff when asked.

It’s also a good idea to double-check your route on the Auckland Transport website or app as some trains will be down.

If you’re out of town and wanting to come to Auckland this week for the competition, it’d pay to book accommodation early.

Many Auckland hotels are already booked out this week due to the number of competitors, with the limited rooms available often fetching top dollar.

If getting to Eden Park is too much of a mission, you don’t have to miss out.

TVNZ on demand is streaming all four days of the competition for free online. It will also be broadcast for live television on TVNZ 2.

If you decide to watch from a distance, you’ll be in company.

About 60,000 people attended Te Matatini in person in 2019, but more than a million people tuned in to the TV or online.

If four days is a little too daunting for you, then tuning in on Saturday could be your best choice.

That’s when the top 15 teams take to the stage a second time to see who will be crowned Toa Whakaihuwaka, the winner of Te Matatini.