This is a play the country needs to see - Sir Ian Taylor

A Wahine Sets the Past on Fire and Ignites the Future…Ōtepoti-based director, acting coach, and writer Cindy Diver (Kāi Tahu) proudly presents Wahine Mātātoa: The (Mostly) True Story of Erihāpeti Pātahi. This comedy-drama offers a great night out, blending humour and heartfelt moments to celebrate the connections between our past and present.

A comedy of consequences, Wahine Mātātoa tells the story of our wahine Kāi Tahu across time and space, where the protagonist, Elizabeth, navigates how to balance decisions that could potentially end her dreams of adventure. This all takes place as she visits the (mostly) true stories of her ancestor, Erihāpeti Pātahi, a high born, high-spirited wahine, a force as untameable as the sea.

As a direct descendant of Pātahi, Diver brings personal depth to the story in both a moving and joyful way, collaborating with a predominantly wāhine Kāi Tahu team, including renowned taoka pūoro artist Ruby Solly. Rooted in Te Wai Pounamu South Island, the production is a uniquely Kāi Tahu narrative that has us consider our whakapapa and identity - what parts of stories are passed down and what we end up piecing together from other sources. 

How do we navigate the future while holding on to our dreams? Turns out even the most rebellious of tupuna can guide us on our paths.

On as part of the Wānaka Festival of Colour.