Many faces gather to examine the future judging system

17 April 2015

MEDIA STATEMENT

Many faces gather to examine the future judging system of Te Matatini

Close to a 100 people including judges and group leaders from NZ and Australia gathered at a hui in Rotorua this weekend to discuss and review judging processes used at Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival.

Leaders of 45 groups from Aotearoa and Australia who performed at the three-day Festival were invited to discuss the judging process including the criteria and the scoring of group performances.

The first since 1994, Te Matatini chairperson Selwyn Parata said the hui was timely because the high standard and excellence of group performances needed to be matched and maintained by a robust and transparent judging system.

“We have many groups who have invested thousands of hours to get to Te Matatini. It is therefore very important that we refine our system and honour their investment by seeking the feedback and input of kaihaka.”

“This hui has been really fantastic because we’ve really narrowed down on the issues such as te reo Māori section, and we have refined the criteria that the judges use to adjudicate.

“We can now concentrate on a best practice model. It will be the first time we’ve been able to do this in a long time.”

“Now that we have reviewed judging of the te reo Māori category we can apply what we’ve learned to Te Matatini 2017 in Heretaunga.”

Darrin Apanui, Te Matatini Society Incorporated chief executive said for a competition the size of Te Matatini it was important to review all the Festival processes for continuous improvement including judging.

“There was frank discussion amongst the judges, regional delegates and leaders, we debated issues around timing, te reo Māori use and its application at the Festival, the rauemi that can be used, and the impacts on teams and judges.

“As a result we have now identified several areas we can now work on that will ensure a high level of excellence is maintained at future Festivals.”

30,000 people attended the Festival earlier this year and nearly 2000 performers stood at the Festival in Christchurch.

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