Wahine Mātātoa: The (Mostly) True Story of Erihāpeti Pātahi

A comedy of consequences, Wahine Mātātoa: the (mostly) true story of Erihāpeti Pātahi, 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.

A direct descendent of the titular character, playwright Cindy Diver has woven the play’s narrative around the stories of her tupuna, bringing to life a uniquely southern story that has us consider 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?

“Wahine Mātātoa is the modern Māori equivalent of Shakespeare…It speaks directly to Māori in the audience and breaches the cultural divide to be a wairua boosting experience for tauiwi and pākehā as well.” – Theatreview

“This is the story telling that I remember sitting at the feet of my aunties. It is who we are. It is why I would love to see it shared across all of Aotearoa.” – Tā Ian Taylor