Te Reanga Morehu o Rātana perform at Te Kāhui Maunga Regionals in Hawera. Photo: suplied/Te Matatini Enterprises
All of Taranaki's accommodation options have been booked out ahead of Te Matatini, forcing event organisers and locals to think outside the box.
Te Matatini chief executive Carl Ross said Te Kāhui Maunga o Te Matatini was going to be the "biggest ever", with a record 55 teams and an extra competition day.
"We're coming to the region to share Matatini and share all of the positive attributes kapa haka brings to the rohe."
The national kapa haka event is set to fill the Bowl of Brooklands with haka and waiata from 24 February-1 March 2025, and six months out, Taranaki is dry.
"We've offered all our accommodation up; marae have been booked out an hour-and-a-half away from New Plymouth."
All but one marae in Taranaki were booked over 12 months ago. The newly renovated Ōwae marae will have more than 80 competitors and whānau staying for the week.
Keen Matatini-goers had kept a close eye on accommodation for the last two years, which led to the rapid sellout, forcing "late-comers" to book out-of-region, Ross said.
Buses for international ambassadors had also been arranged to trek the Wellington to New Plymouth route daily.
Ross said he was often asked: "Why not hold Te Matatini only in larger centres?" However, he pointed to the economic impact of the competition.
With a funding boost of $34 million, 70 percent of the latest allocation was given to the regions to develop and grow kapa haka.
"It's not Te Matatini's festival, it's our people's festival.
"Te Matatini brought an economic impact of $22 million to Tāmaki, and $16 million to Wellington, so we're looking at around $20 million for Taranaki."
It cost more than $100,000 to move an entire team, he said, and with an extended competition and more than 2000 competitors, businesses were undoubtedly going to benefit.
Photo: RNZ/ Nick Monro
"One of the major contributors to Matatini is the economic impact to the region, and we're going to have an economic impact right down to Whanganui.
"If you have heaps of whānau in the one area, they can clear out a Pak'nSave."
Preparing for the surge
When tickets go on sale this Friday, 20 September, there is an option to snap up a camping spot at the New Plymouth Racecourse, which can fit thousands.
"People can bring their full-berth motor homes, if you want to go glamping, go glamping, we're looking at bringing in 250 motor homes," Ross said.
"You can imagine the caravan park, there will be those who are flying their flags of their kapa haka team."
Te Matatini is hoping to build two large kitchens and a showering unit to manaaki those camping at the racecourse.
Ross recalled the times he had in his own kapa haka career where the competitors would be allocated to stay at the same place.
"In 1983 we had a festival in Hastings, and everyone would stay under the same roof in a shed," he said.
"Anei ka noho tahi, ko kai tahi, ko moe tahi (there, we stay together, eat together and sleep together)."
Everyone was united through kotahitanga, stacked up in true kiwi "marae-styles", sharing their final kāputi before they took the stage, he said.
Now people finessed their performances in a private setting as they vied to be crowned the winning rōpū.
Some of the audience members at Te Matatini at Auckland's Eden Park in 2023. Photo: Te Matatini
Belt Road Seaside Holiday Park and Motels managers Nadine and Jared Pink were looking forward to welcoming their kapa haka rōpū from Manawatū.
"I can't wait to see them practice out on the lawn," Nadine said.
The beach view motor camp, which holds more than 130 sites including 26 cabins, was fully booked with one team and had others lined up if they fell through.
"They booked us out before they knew they had qualified for the event."
She said Te Matatini would be Taranaki's Christmas on a huge scale.
"We're used to it here, the rest of Taranaki isn't."
They were also prepared to open the overflow of 20 non-powered spaces, which were owned by the neighbouring bowling club.
Jared Pink said Te Matatini would be something New Plymouth had never seen before.
"It's going to be like Americana, WOMAD, and every single event that New Plymouth has in a year, rolled into one week."
Nice Boutique Hotel owner Terry Parkes said people needed to act quickly to secure rooms.
He said once teams were finalised, people would call any hotel they could find to hold a room - and he was still receiving calls.
Parkes said the week of Matatini could be the best time for Taranaki homeowners to advertise their homes on AirBnb if they were not heading to the festival.