The two mauri stones of Te Matatini were carefully delivered from South Taranaki to North Taranaki settling at Te Upoko o te Whenua Marae on Friday 11 October 2024, by Aotea Waka iwi of south Taranaki, Whanganui, Rātana Pā and Ngā Kapa o Te Kāhui Maunga.
Nestled on a black pillow within a fiberglass case, two sacred stones carry the weight of history and tradition. The smaller, red stone, the true mauri, originates from the Ruahine Ranges and was gifted to Te Matatini by Rangitāne when Palmerston North hosted the festival in 2005 and 2007. This mauri represents the spiritual essence of the event.
“The mauri carries the life force that offers spiritual guidance to future hosts of Te Matatini, ensuring the successful running of the event,” explains Tā Herewini Parata, Chairman of Te Matatini Kapa Haka Society Incorporated.
Protecting the mauri is the larger stone, a piece of tuhua (obsidian), gifted by Tauranga Moana when they hosted the festival in 2009. Together, these stones rest on a beautiful carved wooden base, crafted by the skilled hands of Te Whakatōhea in the Bay of Plenty.
The mauri was ceremonially handed over by Ngāti Whātua o Ōrakei to Te Kāhui Maunga, marking the beginning of its journey through the rohe of Te Kāhui Maunga. Traditionally passed on during Te Matatini’s prizegiving, this moment was an important step in the festival’s journey towards 2025.
“Following Te Matatini Herenga Waka, Herenga Tangata Festival in 2023, our Te Kāhui Maunga committee met to determine how the mauri would be received from Ngāti Whātua me ngā Kapa haka o Tāmaki Makaurau,” says Tamzyn Pue (Ngāti Maruwharanui, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Ruanui), Te Kāhui Maunga delegate for Ngā Purapura o Te Taihauāuru.
“We also carefully considered how the mauri would be shared across the region and which kapa would act as kaitiaki.”
With complete support from all kapa and iwi present of Te Kāhui Maunga, Te Reanga Morehu o Rātana received the mauri first in Rātana Pā in April 2023. It was then taken to Kaiwhaiki Marae in Whanganui to be cared for by Te Matapihi Kapahaka me ngā iwi katoa o te awa tupua o Whanganui. Then Te Matapihi passed the mauri to all kapa and iwi of South Taranaki to be cared for by the Patea Māori Club, Aotea Ūtanganui and Pariroa Pā.
On Friday 11 October 2024, the mauri was brought to Te Upoko o Te Whenua Marae, Tarata by the kapa and iwi of Aotea waka Whanganui and Rātana Pā. It was received by Ngā Purapura o Te Taihauāuru, and all iwi of Tokomaru Waka and Kurahaupō Waka. The mauri will be cared for by Ngā Purapura o Te Taihauāuru until the Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga pōwhiri on 24 February 2025.
As the mauri moved through different communities, a series of wānanga (workshops) have been held, giving marae and people of Te Kāhui Maunga the opportunity to receive the mauri, while also strengthening the reo, tikanga, and mātauranga Māori (Māori language, customs, and knowledge). These wānanga helped prepare the region to host Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga in 2025.
Chair of Te Kāhui Maunga regional kapa haka committee Elijah Pue (Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Uenuku, Ngāti Maruwharanui) said the stones carry a life force that looks after, guides and presides over Te Matatini.
“It's a celebration and a strengthening of who we are as a collective within Te Kāhui maunga, but also more broadly as te iwi Māori in a time where we need inspiration, we need moments like this to celebrate who we are as iwi of this place,” said Jamie Tuuta (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Maru, Te Ātiawa, Taranaki) who spoke for Tokomaru waka.
Tuuta said that it's aptly put within the kōrero underpinning Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga, He Kāhui Tupua He Kāhui Wairua: we reflect on our past, we acknowledge our present, but also look to what the future might be for us as a collective.
(Photo by Quentin Bedwell | IStudios)