Te Matatini Society Incorporated

What Te Matatini Society Incorporated does

Te Matatini Society Incorporated is a New Zealand non-profit incorporated society, headquartered in Wellington, that serves as the sole national organization mandated to foster excellence in traditional Māori performing arts (kapa haka) in Aotearoa. Founded in 1970 as the Polynesian Festival Committee, the organization held its inaugural festival in 1972 and rebranded to its current name on 9 November 2004. It operates the biennial Te Matatini Festival, recognized as the largest celebration of traditional Māori performing arts excellence in the world, where elite kapa haka groups from across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia compete for the national championship title.

The organization's core "product" is the biennial national festival supported by a network of 13 regional rohe committees (Te Tai Tokerau, Tāmaki Makaurau, Tainui, Mātaatua, Te Arawa, Te Tairāwhiti, Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Kāhui Maunga, Rangitāne, Te Whanganui ā Tara, Te Tau Ihu, Waitaha, and Te Whenua Moemoeā in Australia) that coordinate qualifying regional competitions feeding into the national event. Supporting elements include the Te Mahau 30-meter span carved stage (created by NZMACI carvers and unveiled in 2013), a taonga trophy collection (Te Toa Whakaihuwaka, Mōteatea, Waiata ā Ringa, Poi, Haka, etc.), the Te Hiranga Te Ao Haka Top Scholarship with NZQA, and the Te Tohu Whakamanawa o Te Matatini annual recognition award. Its wholly-owned social enterprise subsidiary, Te Matatini Enterprises (led by COO Wi Pere Mita), manages content licensing, merchandise, and international IP arrangements.

Revenue derives from government core funding (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Creative New Zealand), strategic partnerships, biennial festival operations (ticketing, broadcasting, merchandise), and Te Matatini Enterprises commercial activities. The organization is governed by a National Board comprising delegates from each of the 13 rohe plus the Chairman (Tā Herewini Parata, since 2008), and led by CEO Carl Ross with ~19 staff plus 12 regional Pou Takawaenga coordinators. It is governed under the Te Pītau Whakarei 2017-2027 strategic plan focused on rohe development, business growth, event quality, youth development, kapa haka excellence, and intellectual property rights.

Name

Te Matatini Society Incorporated

Legal name

Te Matatini Society Incorporated

Website

https://tematatini.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Te Matatini Society Incorporated is a Wellington-based New Zealand non-profit and the sole national organization mandated to foster excellence in traditional Māori performing arts (kapa haka), operating the biennial Te Matatini Festival — the world's largest celebration of Māori performing arts — across 13 regional rohe in Aotearoa and Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Māori Cultural Festival & Performing Arts Organization

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Māori performing arts
• Kapa haka competition
• Cultural festival management
• Traditional performing arts
• Indigenous arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Strategic partnership with Ministry for Culture and Heritage provides core operational funding for the organization and festival operations
2. Sponsorship and Strategic Partnerships: Revenue generated through strategic partner relationships and sponsorships supporting festival operations, prize taonga donations, and organizational activities
3. Festival and Event Revenue: Revenue from biennial national festival operations including ticket sales, merchandise, broadcasting rights, and associated event activities
4. Te Matatini Enterprises: Social enterprise arm that manages content requests, intellectual property licensing, sales and merchandising, and international consent/contract arrangements

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Te Matatini Society Incorporated is the national organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand responsible for fostering excellence, developing and protecting traditional Māori performing arts (kapa haka). It operates the biennial Te Matatini national festival — the world's largest celebration of traditional Māori performing arts — coordinating 13 regional rohe competitions feeding into the national championship, supporting more than 130 senior kapa haka teams. The organization also delivers youth development (Te Hiranga Te Ao Haka Top Scholarship in partnership with NZQA), awards and taonga, and runs the Te Matatini Enterprises social enterprise arm for IP licensing and merchandise.

Product overview

Te Matatini Society Incorporated operates primarily as a cultural organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offering is the biennial Te Matatini Festival, the largest celebration of traditional Māori performing arts in the world. The organization coordinates thirteen regional competitions across Aotearoa and Australia through rohe-based committees, culminating in the national championship festival. Supporting products include trophy awards (Taonga), the iconic carved stage structure (Te Mahau), youth development programs including the Te Hiranga Te Ao Haka Top Scholarship, annual recognition awards (Te Tohu Whakamanawa), publications and research reports, and the social enterprise arm Te Matatini Enterprises. The organization does not appear to offer a technology product or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Te Matatini Enterprises: The social enterprise arm of Te Matatini Society Incorporated. The team is committed to elevating cultural excellence on the global stage with authenticity and integrity.

Products and services

• Te Matatini Festival (Biennial National Competition) The biennial Te Matatini national festival is the largest celebration of traditional Māori performing arts in the world, where elite kapa haka groups from 13 regional rohe across Aotearoa and Australia compete for the title of National Champion. The festival is hosted by a rotating regional rohe, with live audiences and broadcasting, and has run continuously since 1972.
• Regional Competitions (13 Rohe) Thirteen regional kapa haka competitions held across Aotearoa and Australia, coordinated by rohe committees and supported by Pou Takawaenga regional coordinators, that serve as qualifiers feeding into the national Te Matatini Festival. Regions include Te Tai Tokerau, Tāmaki Makaurau, Tainui, Mātaatua, Te Arawa, Te Tairāwhiti, Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Kāhui Maunga, Rangitāne, Te Whanganui ā Tara, Te Tau Ihu, Waitaha, and Te Whenua Moemoeā (Australia).
• Te Matatini Enterprises Wholly-owned social enterprise arm of Te Matatini Society Incorporated that manages content requests, intellectual property licensing, sales and merchandising, and international consent and contract arrangements, committed to elevating Māori cultural excellence on the global stage.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130+ senior kapa haka teams supported across 13 regional rohe
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.

• APRA AMCOS AotearoastrategicGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration to create Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito award category at APRA Silver Scroll Awards, honouring and acknowledging kapa haka songwriters whose original te reo Māori compositions carry language, culture and identity across generations.
• New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI / Te Puia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013NZMACI carvers created the Te Mahau stage structure unveiled at Te Matatini 2013. The 30-meter span carved stage features culturally significant carvings representing Māori traditions and narratives.
• Ministry for Culture and HeritagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry providing strategic funding and support for cultural initiatives. The organization works closely with strategic partners to maximize opportunities supporting achievement of vision and key priority areas.
• Creative New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative New Zealand partners with Te Matatini for Te Waka Toi Awards where Te Tohu Whakamanawa o Te Matatini is presented annually, celebrating artistic excellence, achievement and contribution of Māori artists.
• NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing Te Hiranga Te Ao Haka Top Scholarship Award recognizing excellence in Māori performing arts through NCEA Te Ao Haka qualification. Te Ao Haka is available at all three levels of NCEA and can count towards University Entrance requirements.
• Te Matatini EnterprisescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial enterprise arm of Te Matatini Society Incorporated, managed by Wi Pere Mita as Chief Operating Officer. Committed to elevating cultural excellence on the global stage with authenticity and integrity. Handles content licensing, merchandise, IP management.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe: The world's largest performing arts festival and the global benchmark for festival-scale cultural events, comparable to Te Matatini as a flagship national cultural festival with strong brand equity and audience reach far beyond its home country.
• Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand): New Zealand's national museum and flagship cultural institution in Wellington, directly comparable to Te Matatini as a government-supported cultural anchor stewarding national taonga and identity, though Te Papa's focus is on collections/museum exhibits rather than performing arts competitions.
• Sydney Festival: Major Australian summer performing arts festival, comparable as a national-scale cultural festival operating in the same trans-Tasman region where Te Matatini's Australian rohe (Te Whenua Moemoeā) competes, and competing for similar sponsorship and broadcasting partnerships.
• Royal New Zealand Ballet: National performing arts company based in Wellington, comparable to Te Matatini as a flagship NZ cultural institution with similar Crown/Creative NZ partnership model, though focused on dance rather than traditional Māori performing arts.
• New Zealand Symphony Orchestra: National performing arts organization in Aotearoa with government and Creative New Zealand backing, comparable to Te Matatini in scale (~similar funding tier), national remit, and reliance on government core funding combined with ticket and sponsorship revenue.

Direct peers

• Polynesian Cultural Center: Hawai'i-based cultural performance and heritage tourism organization presenting Polynesian performing arts across multiple island traditions — closely comparable to Te Matatini in mission (preserve and showcase Polynesian performing arts), enterprise structure, and revenue model blending performance, cultural education, and commercial activity.
• Festival of Pacific Arts: Rotating pan-Pacific cultural festival coordinated by the Pacific Community (SPC) bringing together Pacific Island nations to celebrate traditional performing and visual arts — closely comparable to Te Matatini in focus on Pacific/Polynesian cultural performance excellence at regional scale.
• Auckland Arts Festival: Major multi-disciplinary performing arts festival in Aotearoa that competes with Te Matatini for sponsorship, audience attention, and government cultural funding, with a similar biennial-style programming rhythm and Wellington/festival governance model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/te_matatini
• Facebookfacebook.com/tematatini
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/te-matatini-society-incorporated
• Instagraminstagram.com/te_matatini
• TikToktiktok.com/@te_matatini

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Te Matatini Society Incorporated