Since its inception in 1971 the preparatory organisation of Te Hui Ahurei ā Tūhoe is hinged on voluntary labour. This labour is gifted with passion and commitment by iwi for iwi, by hapū for hapū and by whānau for whānau. More than 25,000 people attended the festival and its organisers anticipate numbers will grow in the future.

Te Puni Kokiri invested in identifying the capacity and capability of whānau and hapū to organise an iwi cultural festival through an evaluative report that will inform the future organisational direction of Te Hui Ahurei ā Tūhoe to enable its sustainability. The report will allow Ngāi Tūhoe whānau and hapū to plan to strategise for future iwi events based on analysed evidence.