Taranaki woman Tina Mareikura, who had grown up outside of te ao Māori, says Te Matatini had restored her pride in being Māori. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga brought tens of thousands of visitors to Taranaki for the biennial celebration of kapa haka, injecting millions of dollars into the province in the process.
But beyond the economic impact it has also opened a window into te ao Māori, breaking down boundaries as it does.
Te Waka McLeod is New Plymouth's first Māori Ward councillor - a role a sizeable proportion of the local population fought tooth and nail to prevent being established.
She said Te Matatini would have challenged some people's vision of who Māori were and hoped it would provoke wider discussion.
"There needs to be a truth and a beauty, a beautiful conversation about te ao Māori being had and I think that what's been happening.
"I think people are being made more aware of what it is to be Māori, what it is to connect to Māori, to Māori events.
"So, that's been a really cool thing and even I've heard different non-Māori people whānau come in and kind of experience this and go 'wow what is this?'."
New Plymouth Maori Ward councillor hope Te Matatini would provoke a discussion about the beauty of te ao Maori. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
New Plymouth woman Kajta Eager jumped at the opportunity to attend.
"I think there will be a deeper understanding and a bit more of a connection to the kaupapa that was happening here.
"I think for people who are maybe new to Aotearoa it is really really important to understand what this is all about.
"To see how incredibly peaceful and happy the vibe of this event is. I think it's beautiful."
Caila and Katja Eager loved their experience at Te Matatini. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Her daughter Caila was enjoying it.
"I think I wanted to be part of it because it's just such a wonderful event. This Māori culture is like just so beautiful and unique to New Zealand.
"It's amazing to have an event like this to celebrate it. I think it's great."
She thought young people were onboard.
"I think so. Events like this aren't just for Māori, they're for everyone who wants to be involved and I think that's great."
Tina Mareikura had Taranaki whakapapa but was brought up outside of te ao Māori in Lower Hutt.
Initially she found it difficult being at Te Matatini.
"I rang up my partner and said 'Babba I feel colonised'. I was having like a panic attack it felt too much for me.
"But today that colonised girl is coming out, you know, to be a Māori and to be content in my skin."
Rei Peiri hoped Te Matatini's message would resonate in the halls of power.
"Especially if we can get our non-Māori counterparts onboard and more so those who understand what it is to be a partner as opposed to it being 'us and them', so I guess you know who I'm aiming my korero at.
"It's not our own, but towards those that do have a lot of negativity towards anything Māori."
Waitara's Nicholas Coulten was sporting Clan Davidson tartan.
Nicholas Coulten, who sported his Clan Davidson tarten at Te Matatini, says the event has broken down boundaries. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
He said Te Matatini was already making a difference.
"I myself am Pākehā my family has been here hundreds of years. They're settlers. My wife - I've married into Te Atiawa - and my parents, even my wife's parents, have always had a stand back type of view on this kind of thing.
"And I'd say after this week even my mum is starting to learn to roll her 'Rs'. It really has broken boundaries."
Coulten said normally his parents would be intimated by people wearing tā moko.
"But over this week they've been in cafes and people have sat down next to them and they've started small talk.
"And for a lot of people visiting it's the first time they've been to Taranaki, so it's breaking boundaries for them as well because they're talking to these fifth generation cockies who would never talk to them otherwise."
Meanwhile, French visitor Isabelle Sehl, who was travelling with her German husband Werner Fiederer, said it was just by chance someone at Puke Ariki Museum in New Plymouth had told them about the festival.
"There was no way we were going to miss it because it is so much linked to the culture of the country and we were able to ask a lot of questions and people were so kind and they all answer our questions even if it was a bit lengthy for them."
German / French couple Werner Fiederer and Isabella Sehl couldn't wait to tell friends in Europe about Te Matatini. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Sehl, who could not believe there were not more foreign tourists at Te Matatini, could not wait to tell friends back in Europe about the experience.
"The resilience of the performers, because you know I do ballet, so if you dance and sing, and I mean it's not like just regular singing, it's really singing with all your power, plus all the movement with your face and your eyes.
"That's exhausting and they do that for many minutes, no?"
A venue for Te Matatini 2027 was yet to be decided upon.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
