Mā te ngākau whakaiti te manaakitanga e taea ai!
With humility, true generosity is enabled
Tui Ora is showing festival-goers the true meaning of manaakitanga at WOMAD 2025 with a free kaputī (cup of tea) and kōrero at the tent on Te Paepae.
There will also be cultural activities to get involved in, and the Mākona kawhe kart will be on site, selling delicious coffee and giving customers the opportunity to practice their te reo.
“As a WOMAD event partner, we are proud to be giving visitors the opportunity to connect with te ao Māori and fully experience the valued cultural practice that is manaakitanga,” says Pou Tū Kūrae (CEO) Alana Ruakere.
“We are providing a space where people can take a moment from the energy and excitement of the festival to refresh their tinana and wairua (body and spirit) and give their wairua (sense of well-being) a boost before setting off on their next WOMAD adventure.”
WOMAD Aotearoa is the only WOMAD event that has its own indigenous space, making Te Paepae the cultural heartbeat of the festival.
And Tui Ora will be making sure that beat is loud and proud!
Visitors will be able to try their hand at the Māori martial art of mau rākau, finding out more about the tikanga of handling a rākau (stick) and performing a short sequence at the end of the session!
They can also create a taonga pūoro, a traditional musical instrument made of clay and add the beautiful haunting melodies they produce to the soundtrack of WOMAD.
The ever-popular moko stencilling is back for another year, along with whakairo (Māori wood carving) artists Jordan Berry and Meka Mauriri.
“Immersing yourself in different cultures though music, kai and experience is what WOMAD is all about, so we are looking forward to saying ‘Haere Mai, Nau Mai to Te Paepae’ and helping people to connect with te ao Māori in lots of different ways,” says Alana.
Festival-goers can check out the Te Paepae schedule on the WOMAD app, or womad.co.nz