Matatihi
Maia's Journey of Bravery
The Court Theatre is proud to be bringing back Matatihi: Maia's Journey of Bravery for our 2024 Primary School's Touring Show.
Matatihi: Maia’s journey of bravery exposes children to stories and characters rooted in the Canterbury rohe (region), taking the audience on a journey to discover Te waka o Aoraki; local mountains, lakes and legendary creatures.
Maia is different from everyone else in her village, she doesn’t fit in. When she runs away she encounters the Pouakai (or Hokioi or Hokio), a legendary and powerful bird who lives on top of the mountains and has not been seen for generations. When Maia meets our Pouakai he is shy and sad because he cannot fly. Maia commits to helping him on his journey and together they learn to be brave, bold and proud of their place in the world. At the end of the show the Pouakai achieves his goal of flying and his wings transform into a soaring spectacle which swoops over the young audience.
This show will inspire young people to be proud of what makes them different and to carve their own path in the world. Matatihi- Maia’s journey of bravery is an action-packed, unapologetic, and fierce story of bravery told through live music, puppetry, kapahaka, song, story-telling and te reo Māori.