Ngai Tuhoe came together this weekend for the Ahurei, a biennial gathering of kapa haka, sport and whanaungatanga.
Tuhoe leader Tamati Kruger says the crowd of more than 20,000 who filled the marae of the Ruatoki valley included tribal members from all over the world.
He says in terms of where its people live the tribe is now more urban that rural, and people appreciate the opportunity to reconnect with their family, language and culture.
"Culture now comes to mean sharing and it's very difficult for people to pinpoint what exactly they share with others of their own culture when the world is such a small place now and anything can be duplicated and replicated so over the weekend many, many Tuhoe people came back from over the globe to have that moment", Mr Kruger says.
He says the fact Ahurei is alcohol free didn’t seem to affect people's enjoyment of it.
Full interview here:
