For the first time in its 19-year history, Te Māhepohepo has expanded its reach from the sports field to a live public broadcast. The 2026 tournament, hosted this year through the collaborative efforts of Te Pūtahi Māori o Manurewa, features a media team led entirely by rangatahi.
These students are filling professional roles behind the scenes as camera operators, social media managers, and commentators, using the platform to demonstrate te reo Māori in the modern digital world.
This shift toward media is a natural evolution for a kaupapa that began in 2007. Founders Hammond Matua and his brother Charles Matua originally started the event to provide a space where Māori could meet beyond kapa haka. For nearly two decades, it has served as a sanctuary for Māori schools that were often excluded from mainstream competitions in Auckland because of their small student numbers.
“He hia kai nō ngā tamariki ki te whanake, ki te whakapakari ā rātou māramatanga ki ngā pūkenga rau ā ēnei tākaro katoa,” says Hammond Matua.
Building a pathway beyond the codes
Seventeen-year-old Raukura Makoare, from Te Pūtahi Māori o Manurewa, is one of the student commentators leading this new digital space. Her participation is the realisation of a vision she shared during her Manu Kōrero speech last year, where she advocated for creating media spaces where rangatahi could explore professional interests.
Makoare credits her teachers with opening this door.
“Ki āku whakāro, he mea pai ēnei mahi i te mea e taea ana ngā tauira ki te mātakitaki i a rātou e tākaro ana, kia whakawhanake i a rātou ki roto i ēnei mahi.”
Another student who has found his calling behind the microphone is Taihere Maika from Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae. Describing a natural affinity for the role, Maika stated he has a “waha papā”.
He cites the influence of established Māori broadcasters such as Scotty Morrison, who has paved the way for young people like him who want to pursue a career in media.
“He awenga nui tōna ki runga i a au me tōna reo, he reo tāukiuki otira he reo hou... ā, ko Te Aorere Pewhairangi mā, i tōna wā ko Tamati Waaka,” Maika explained.
Behind the kaupapa is Moehau Lewin Husband, one of the organisers who introduced the broadcast space for rangatahi to Te Māhepohepo. Husband recognises the rangatahi’s natural ability to work with technology and wanted to create a space for hands-on experience.
“He whakapuaki ki a rātou he mana nui tō te reo Māori ki tēnei ao matihiko ka mutu ki tēnei ao pāpāho, tērā pea he huarahi ki te anamata ka mutu ana i te kura,” he stated.
Husband views Te Aorere Pewhairangi, a kura kaupapa graduate who has broadcast for the Olympics and the Rugby World Cup, as the ultimate proof of where this foundation can lead.
As the tournament looks toward its 20th anniversary next year, Husband hopes that the kaupapa continues to expand and receives the same recognition as mainstream cultural events.
“Me mana ōrite te rahi o te huruhuru ki tā te Polyfest, ki tā te manu kōrero... kia mana rite ēnei tū āhuatanga Māori ake nei ki tā tauiwi mā.”
