Nga Matawaka Maori Cultural Group, Cairns QLD

19/09/2026

🔥 TE WIKI O TE REO MĀORI! 🔥

Alright whānau, we’re going way back with Rōpū Aaria and this absolute banger — Kei a Wai Rā te Kupu e 🎶🙌🏽

Released back in 2001, this one is bringing ALL the nostalgia! 😮‍💨🔥 If you know, you KNOW! 😂

So turn it up, sing along, and enjoy a little blast from the past while celebrating te reo Māori ❤️🖤

Ngā mihi whānau — enjoy your Saturday! 🌺 Have a beautiful day and keep the reo alive!

https://youtu.be/_ykFXuEtrm0?si=8alAby4zRFfRljl4

Performed by Aaria (C) 2001 Urban Pasifika

17/09/2026

🌿 Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori | Māori Language Week 🌿

This week, we celebrate te reo Māori — a taonga that connects us to our whakapapa, our whenua, our tūpuna and to one another. ❤️

Our reo carries the stories, knowledge, values and identity of generations before us. Keeping te reo alive means continuing to speak it, learn it, share it and pass it on to the generations who come after us.

Every word matters. Every kōrero matters. Every effort to learn and use our reo helps strengthen its place in our everyday lives. 🖤

✨ Word of the Day: TAONGA
Taonga means a treasure, precious possession, or something of great cultural significance and value.

Our reo is truly a taonga — precious, treasured and worth protecting for generations to come.

Kia kaha te reo Māori! 🖤❤️🤍
Let’s celebrate, use and cherish our beautiful language — not just this week, but every day. 🌿

05/09/2026

🌭 Nau mai, haere mai whānau! ❤️

Apopo Ngā Mātāwaka will be on the tools at Smithfield Bunnings, 8am–4pm! 🔨💪🏽

Come down, grab a sausage sizzle 🌭 and tautoko our rōpū. Every bit of support means heaps to us! 🙌🏽

🎟️ We’ll also have a raffle inside with 2 tickets to see Tiki Taane! 🔥

Bring the whānau, come say kia ora, grab a feed and support Ngā Mātāwaka.

Nau mai, haere mai — ka nui te mihi ki a koutou katoa! ❤️🖤

28/08/2026

🌿Mōrena 😊

Today, Ngā Mātāwaka will once again be taking part in the Cairns Grand Parade — our second year proudly representing our rōpū, our whānau, and most importantly, our culture. ❤️🖤🤍

For us, this is about so much more than walking in a parade. It is about bringing a little piece of Aotearoa with us, standing proudly in who we are, and sharing the beauty, Mana and richness of our Māori culture with our Cairns Hapori.

This is about our Rangitahi seeing their culture celebrated.
It is about our whānau coming together.
It is about remembering where we come from and proudly showing the community where we stand. ❤️

So if you’re here in Cairns and would like to join us on this hikoi, we would absolutely love to have you alongside us.

Nau mai, haere mai. Come walk with us. Come stand with us. Come tautoko our rōpū and your culture. 🌿

Whether you’re Māori, connected to Māori, part of our wider whānau, or simply someone who wants to stand alongside us and celebrate — you are welcome.

If you’d like to come along, reach out to us via DM for more details.

Let’s fill the streets with our Tangata, our waiata, our smiles and our wairua.
Let’s show Cairns just how beautiful our culture is. ❤️🖤🤍

Nau mai, haere mai. Don’t be shy, Represent with pride🇳🇿❤️🌿

03/08/2026

🎸 🍀Ngā Matawaka is on the hunt for a Guitarist! 🎶

Kia ora e te whānau!

Were you the one holding it down at the old garage parties? 😄 If you can play a G (and maybe a C, D, and Em if you're showing off 😉), then nau mai, haere mai!

Ngā Mātāwaka is looking for a guitarist to join our awesome whānau. We love our waiata, our culture, a good laugh, and sharing te ao Māori with our community.

You don't need to be a rockstar—just someone with a good heart, a love for music, and who's keen to be part of something special.

🎁 Know someone who'd be perfect?

Tag them in the comments below! If they register with Ngā Matawaka, you and the person you tagged will both go in the draw to win tickets to see Tiki Taane this September at the Tanks! 🎤🔥

So dust off that guitar, bring those garage party chords, and come join the whānau!

📩 Message us for more details.

Nau mai, haere mai! ❤️🖤🤍

02/08/2026

🌺 Kia Orana! Happy Cook Islands Language Week! 🌺

From all of us at Ngā Matawaka, we proudly celebrate Cook Islands Language Week and acknowledge our Cook Islands whānau here in Cairns and across the Pacific.

As peoples of Te Moananui-a-Kiwa, Māori and Cook Islands Māori share deep ancestral connections, similar languages, and values of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and aroha. While each culture is unique, our shared heritage continues to bring us together.

We celebrate your reo, your culture, and the strength of your community.

Kia Orana e kia manuia te Epetoma o te Reo Māori Kuki Airani! 💚

26/07/2026

🎉 JOIN THE WHĀNAU & WIN! 🎉

Nga Matawaka is looking for new members to join our rōpū, and we're celebrating by giving away 2 x tickets to see Tiki Taane live at The Tanks, Cairns on Saturday, 19 September! 🎶🔥

Do you know someone who can play guitar, hold a note, or simply wants to reconnect with their culture? We'd love to meet them!

Here's how to enter:

✅ Like this post
✅ Follow the Nga Matawaka page
✅ Tag one or more locals who might be interested in joining our rōpū (especially if they play guitar or can hold a tune!)
✅ Register with Nga Matawaka to receive one entry into the draw

Whether you're a seasoned performer or just keen to Tautoko , everyone is welcome.

🎟️ Prize: 2 x tickets to see Tiki Taane live at The Tanks, Cairns.

📅 Entries close: Thursday, 11 September
🏆 Winner announced: Thursday, 11 September

Nau mai, haere mai! Join the whānau, celebrate our culture, make new connections, and you could be heading to see one of Aotearoa's finest live in Cairns!

11/07/2026

Matariki Under the Stars ✨

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who joined us last night to celebrate Matariki. 💙

Although it was a little cloudy, the whetū still shone through, and the mārama lit up the night. It was a beautiful evening filled with Manaakitanga, laughter, games, prizes, yummy kai, and waiata.

We also took time to remember and honour our loved ones and tūpuna, sharing stories and keeping their memories alive, which made the evening even more special.

To our hapori(Community/Followers), please never think you can't join us. Our doors are always open. If you're missing home and can't make it back to Aotearoa, you'll always have a place with us, being around your own tangata(People) 💯 helps 🥰

Thank you to everyone who came and made the night so memorable. ❤️