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Matua Kahurangi
Just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes.
New Zealanders should be asking some very hard questions about where their money is going. The government has committed over $49 million in funding for Te Matatini, the national kapa haka festival, through to the 2027/28 financial year. That includes a $48.7 million three-year allocation announced in Budget 2024. To put this into perspective, recent annual funding has been around $17 million. This is a huge jump for what is essentially a performance festival, and it really does raise some serious questions about priorities.
A typical kapa haka act includes half-naked foot stomping, chest slapping, and waving homemade poi. I wouldn’t be surprised if the venues are on Māori land or donated for the event. Costs such as staging, security, their website, marketing, ticketing, toilets, staff and stalls are real, but when you break it down, the overheads are minimal compared to the scale of funding being handed over. Tens of millions of dollars for something that is largely about showing off a performance? It doesn’t add up.
This is not about preserving culture. This is about political optics, virtue signalling, and inflating a festival to justify a massive government cheque. At a time when housing costs are skyrocketing, hospitals are under pressure, and everyday New Zealanders are struggling to pay bills, committing nearly $50 million to a festival seems utterly tone-deaf. Ordinary citizens are being asked to tighten their belts while millions are poured into a show that is stripped of its original meaning and blown up for appearances.
The scale of funding suggests a disconnect from reality. New Zealanders deserve accountability, yet the government continues to hand out enormous sums with little scrutiny. Te Matatini may be a celebration of Māori culture, but it has been transformed into a political tool, prioritising spectacle over substance. And while a select few benefit from this lavish funding, most New Zealanders are left questioning why their taxes are being spent in this way.
At the end of the day, $49 million is being poured into what is ultimately a staged performance. Yes, it may preserve some traditions, but it also feeds into a cycle of political theatre where appearances matter more than impact. Meanwhile, the rest of the country struggles to make ends meet. This is not just wasteful: it is an insult to taxpayers, to common sense, and to the very culture it claims to celebrate.
This article was originally published on the author’s Substack.
