Story: King Country region

Maniapoto Festival, 1998

The Maniapoto Festival is an annual event for Ngāti Maniapoto people run by the Te Kawau Maro o Maniapoto Trust. As the speakers in the clip from the 1998 festival explain, the week-long event comprises activities such as pig-hunting, fishing and eeling competitions, sports events and a kapa haka competition. The speaker at the end says that the festival brings to life the proverb of the ancestor Maniapoto, 'Kia mau ki te kawau maro'. This refers to a fighting force which moves like a cormorant bird, fast and unyielding. This proverb was adopted by Ngāti Maniapoto as their tribal motto. The awards ceremony was held at Te Tokanganui-a-noho marae in Te Kūiti.

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How to cite this page:

Kerryn Pollock, 'King Country region - Population and society', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/34859/maniapoto-festival-1998 (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Kerryn Pollock, updated 1 Mar 2015