MEDIA RELEASE
FRIDAY 29 OCTOBER 2021
Te Matatini event organisers have made a decision on the future of the 2022 Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata National Kapa Haka Festival.
After much deliberation, specialist advice from Māori health experts and statisticians relating to the current climate of COVID-19 in Aotearoa, Te Matatini has made the collective decision to postpone Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata National Kapa Haka Festival until February 2023.
The festival will remain at Eden Park (Ngā Ana Wai) in Tāmaki Makaurau and all qualifying Kapa Haka and judges will remain the same as they currently stand.
“Tiakina te whakapapa, tiakina hoki te Kapa Haka are paramount and have been at the forefront of all considerations and conversations for the Te Matatini Festival organising committee,” says Carl Ross, Chief Executive of Te Matatini.
“We know that many whānau will be disappointed that the festival will not go ahead in 2022 as planned. Many plans were put in place and sacrifices made by all our Kapa Haka that will have to be moved.”
“But as we know, protecting whānau is our number one priority, and the DELTA variant of COVID-19 poses a real threat to our people and that is why we are encouraging whānau to get vaccinated.”
“The new COVID-19 protection framework means that all large scale indoor/outdoor events will require vaccination certificates for all participants to attend.”
“We want to applaud our Māori health providers, doctors and nurses for all their continued efforts and hard work over the past 19 months to protect our whānau Māori and assisting with the vaccination rollout.” says Chairman, Selwyn Parata.
ENDS.
EDITORS NOTES
On Friday 22 October 2021, the Government announced that Aotearoa will be transitioning from an elimination strategy to a COVID-19 protection framework which relies on a highly vaccinated population and a traffic light type system. For all the available detail and information relating to the Government’s COVID-19 protection framework, click here.
A further announcement was made by the Government on Tuesday 26 October, mandating the requirement of vaccine certificates for all those a part of and attending large scale events, like Te Matatini.
Te Matatini receives all information on COVID-19 and the vaccine from our trusted sources – the Ministry of Health, Unite Against COVID, and Karawhiua channels.
For more information on vaccinations – how to book an appointment, drive-thru locations and where to go to receive your vaccine within your region, please visit the COVID-19 website.
Media contact:
Janay Tauri 021 228 8322