With the promise of being a must-see highlight of the Auckland Arts Festival 2013, Everything is Ka Pai – an epic, one-off concert of classic Māori anthems had a lot to live up to. It was a challenge Tama Waipara, Auckland Festival Programmer (Māori and Pacific) was confident of taking.

“Everything is Ka Pai was about acknowledging and celebrating the enduring Māori musical legacy and the sheer musical brilliance of some of this country’s most cherished and honoured Māori musicians and composers such as The Volcanics, Prince Tui Teka, Howard Morrison, The Quin-Tikis and The Hi-Marks. We had an amazing selection of music to choose from and some pretty incredible talent to bring the show to life.”

With a special appearance from the legendary John Rowles and hosted by Pio Terei and Waimihi Hotere, Everything is Ka Pai boasted the talent of The Yoots, Maisey Rika, Ria Hall, the Modern Māori Quartet and Hinewehi Mohi, and a selection of the country’s most admired established performers, including Annie and Will Crummer, St Joseph’s Māori Girls’ Choir and Te Waka Huia.

“As Māori people, we love to entertain one another. It’s a core part of how we manaaki people on our marae. Celebrating our skills and talents in a way that people of Tāmaki Makaurau could enjoy too was one of the reasons behind our decision to support this project,“ says Tāmaki Makaurau Regional Director, Pauline Kingi.

Ria Hall, winner of the 2012 Tui Awards Best Māori Album, described Everything is Ka Pai as “an amazing evening”.

“One of my highlights was at the very end – walking out with the Rātana Brass Band from Mangakahia to the Māori Battalion anthem and then they went straight into the Rātana band march. It took me back to my upbringing in Tauranga, and how much of an influence the Rātana faith has had on my music. I actually got pretty emotional hearing them!”

Ria wasn’t able to do the full costume change to perform in time with Te Waka Huia (the current National Kapa Haka Champion team that she has been part of for eight years), but did manage to jump on unscripted at the end of the evening to sing with them. “I was getting itchy haka feet watching them that’s for sure!”

With Everything is Ka Pai heralded as a musical triumph, everyone wants to know if there will be repeat performances of Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi and Blue Smoke in a town near them anytime soon.