Kapa haka movement gains momentum across Te Tauihu

Kapa haka is experiencing significant growth across Te Tauihu, the top of the South Island, with thousands of performers, whānau and community members involved in performing, supporting and celebrating the traditional Māori performing art.

Te Tauihu Kapa Haka, the governing body responsible for organising kapa haka competitions and development across the region, has seen participation grow across all levels, from primary school students through to senior performers, with kaihaka (performers) representing a wide range of ethnicities.

First established in 1970 as Te Tauihu o te Waka a Maui Māori Cultural Council, the purpose of Te Tauihu Kapa Haka is to foster kapa haka, support the development of te reo me ōna tikanga, strengthen whanaungatanga across the rohe and provide a platform for tamariki, rangatahi and whānau.

Heamana (Chair) Sonny Alesana says the growing popularity of kapa haka reflects a deeper community motivation to connect with identity and place. "Kapa haka is such an accessible thing. It is in every school – just about every first fifteen has a haka, every first eleven has a haka. What we are noticing now is the growth in the adult groups which is because of the young people coming through and continuing to perform at that more senior level.

"What really excites me is the education aspect. A lot of our people are starting to learn about who they are and where they live through kapa haka. And that is not just Māori, that is everybody across the board. That is the exciting part for me."

The recent regional festival Kia Hūkere te Hoe brought thousands of people to Stadium 2000 for the biggest kapa haka event ever held in Wairau Marlborough. The two-day event featured three divisions: primary schools through Te Mana Kuratahi, secondary schools through Kura Tuarua, and senior groups competing as part of the regional qualifying pathway for Te Matatini 2027.  While the literal translation of Kia Hūkere te Hoe is “let the paddle move,” Sonny says the broader meaning is about “rowing together to move the waka forward”.

"Kia Hūkere te Hoe really is about everybody, including performers. We are what we call kaihoe, the rowers of that waka. When performers, sponsors, the committee and the community are working together, that really moves our waka forward."

It was the first time the festival had returned to the region in 13 years, drawing hundreds of kaihaka, whānau and supporters. Sonny says the growth in popularity of kapa haka has also brought its own set of challenges.

“We have wanted to return to Blenheim for many years. The momentum we are seeing there is one of the key reasons we have come back. However, one of the challenges around the growth of kapa haka is that we need bigger venues. This is where Rātā Foundation has been able to help, by providing the resources to hire a venue like Stadium 2000 to provide the space big enough to host these events. Before, we were borrowing school halls just to fit three or four hundred people, but now we have thousands of people coming to this event. Without Rātā, we would not be able to grow the things that we are doing right now.

“This year we also had 11 other primary teams that we couldn't fit on the two days, so now we are looking at how we can extend the festival to hold true to our kaupapa of welcoming all who want to perform.”

Rātā Foundation has partnered with Te Tauihu Kapa Haka for eight years. Head of Community Investment Kate Sclater says a key driver of the support has been on helping to make kapa haka more accessible now and for future generations.

"Our support for Te Tauihu Kapa Haka sits within our Participate funding area, which aims to reduce barriers to participation. One of our priorities is enabling deeper understanding of tikanga Māori through arts, heritage and traditional tākaro. Seeing the growth of kapa haka across the region, and the thousands of people it is now reaching is a powerful reminder of why this is so important. Kapa haka builds identity, strengthens whānau and connects communities in ways that are intergenerational."