He Tānga Manawa | Before it was called Te Matatini, the national kapa haka competition once went by the name of the Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts Festival, and before that, the Polynesian Festival. Here in this report from 1992, there was talk of canning the competitive nature of the event altogether, but the suggestion was met with opposition.

It's a way of delivery tertiary education to isolated communities. Nearly 50 people from Wairoa have passed a multimedia course delivered by AUT. And as Te Okiwa McLean reports, another benefit was the creation of an app that tells the Māori history of the district.

#SmearYourMea Matatini doesn't officially start till next Wednesday but a group of kapa haka aficionados have already hit the road. That's because they're travelling all the way from Rotorua to Wellington by bike! As Rapaera Tawhai Reports, the journey is actually a health awareness campaign inspired by a late haka exponent, Talei Morrison, who dedicated the last months of her life encouraging women to get regular smear tests.

The Māori Council claims the Māori Affairs Select Committee is incompetent for refusing to hold an independent inquiry into PHARMAC. Eruera Rerekura - Te Karere has the details.

Water restrictions remain in place in the Gisborne region despite the leak having been fixed. Contractors worked overnight to mend the seal on the pipe as concern over water levels mounted.

In around 45 mins the historic clash between the Australian indigenous teams and the NZ Māori All-Stars kick off in Melbourne. It'll not only feature some of the best league players in the NRL, but it'll showcase the proud cultural traditions of both nations. Te Rina Kowhai has more.

A group of cyclists has left Rotorua for Wellington as part of a health campaign to raise awareness for cervical cancer. Led by former MP Te Ururoa Flavell, Ride 4 Talei is part of the #SmearYourMea movement that was sparked by the late kapa haka exponent Talei Morrison. Rapaera Tawhai Reports was there when they left on their journey to the capital where they hope to coincide their arrival with the start of the national kapa haka competition, Te Matatini. Te Karere | 4pm | TVNZ 1

The next generation of wireless technology is on the horizon and an ICT expert is advocating to ensure Māori gets a fair share.

Residents of the southern end of Nelson's Pigeon Valley have been able to return home this morning 10 days after the fire broke out. But they've been told they need to be prepared to leave again at short notice.

The NZer of the Year claimed his award last night wearing gumboots. Mental health campaigner Mike King was recognised for his work in trying to reverse NZ's appalling suicide statistics. He was wearing gumboots to highlight his next fundraising event showing his work goes on despite his latest accolade. And as Irena Smith - Te Karere observed, 4 out of the 6 categories were won by extraordinary Māori talent.