Unit 1 · Lesson 3 · Weeks 4–5

🥁 Haka — Taonga of Expression and Power

Haka is one of Aotearoa's most recognised taonga — yet one of the most misunderstood. Far from a simple "war dance," haka is a sophisticated art form that carries whakapapa, political argument, grief, celebration, and community identity. This lesson positions haka as literature, politics, and performance simultaneously.

Pātai Matua — Central Questions

What is haka actually communicating — and to whom?
Why does the body become the vehicle for political and cultural expression?
How does collective performance create and reinforce identity?

🎯 Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Understand haka as a multidimensional taonga with distinct types and purposes.
Analyse Ka Mate for its historical meaning, context, and physical elements.
Collaboratively create a short ngeri celebrating our school or community.

✅ Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

I can identify and explain at least three types of haka.
I can analyse Ka Mate for its historical meaning and context.
I have contributed to creating and performing a class ngeri.

🧭 NZ Curriculum Alignment

The Arts — Dance L4: Explore and analyse movement as communication.
Social Studies L4: How cultural practices express and reinforce identity.
English L4: Analyse texts (oral/performance) for purpose and audience.

Years 7–10 · Term 1 · Weeks 4–5

⚠️ Kaiako Guidance — Cultural Sensitivity

Haka is a taonga tuku iho — a treasure passed down through generations — belonging to specific iwi and hapū. This lesson focuses on understanding haka, not appropriating it. Key guidelines:

Do not teach ākonga to perform Ka Mate or any existing haka without explicit permission from the relevant iwi (Ngāti Toa Rangatira hold cultural rights to Ka Mate — formally acknowledged in the Ngāti Toa Rangatira Deed of Settlement 2012).
The creation task uses a ngeri — an original class composition — not a copy of an existing haka.
If your school has Māori staff, kaumātua, or a whānau group, invite them to advise on or lead the creation activity.
Vigorous physical expression in haka should be approached with respect and cultural guidance.

🙏 Karakia Tīmatanga

🎥 Media Anchor

Video: Kapa Haka and Cultural Expression

How does haka communicate identity, history, and collective strength?
What responsibilities come with performing cultural taonga respectfully?

Whakataka te hau ki uta,
Whakataka te hau ki tai.
Kia mākinakina ki uta,
Kia mātaratara ki tai.
E hī ake ana te atakura.
He tio, he huka, he hau hū.
Tūturu o whiti whakamaua kia tīna. Tīna!
Hui e! Tāiki e!

Ngā Mahi — Lesson Activities (60 minutes)

1. Viewing and Analysis — Ka Mate (10 min)

Before viewing: Ask ākonga — "What do you already know about haka? Where have you seen it? What do you think it means?" Take a quick class show of hands. Then watch a performance of Ka Mate together (RNZ or NZ On Screen have culturally appropriate recordings).

Background: Ka Mate

Ka Mate was composed by Te Rauparaha (Ngāti Toa Rangatira) around the 1820s while hiding from enemies in a kūmara storage pit. The words celebrate miraculous survival: "Ka mate, ka mate! Ka ora, ka ora!" — "I die, I die! I live, I live!" It is a haka taparahi (without weapons) and a song of triumph over death and despair. Ngāti Toa Rangatira's intellectual property rights over Ka Mate are now formally recognised by the Crown.

Ka mate, ka mate — Ka ora, ka ora! (I die, I die — I live, I live!)
Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru (This is the hairy/vigorous man)
Nāna nei i tiki mai, whakawhiti te rā (Who fetched the sun and caused it to shine again)

Analysis — What Is the Body Saying?

Stamping (whenua): Feet on the earth claim connection to land and assert presence and power.
Whetero (tongue extension): A display of life force and vitality — in Māori tradition, the tongue is a taonga. It is defiant, not rude.
Pōkeka (wide eyes): Signals intensity, full presence, and the warrior spirit. Combined with the facial expression, it communicates — "We are fully here."
Synchrony: The group moves as one body. This is community as a living, breathing entity — not individuals, but whanaungatanga made visible.
Voice volume and breath: Haka is physically demanding. The breath work and vocal power signal strength and preparation.

2. Types of Haka — Matching Activity (15 min)

Ākonga match descriptions and examples to the four main types of haka, then discuss the purpose of each. Provide as a printed worksheet or display on screen for class discussion.

Haka Taparahi

No weapons. Performed to welcome, celebrate, challenge, or honour. The most common form seen in schools and at sporting events. Ka Mate is a haka taparahi. Structure is formal, with specific words, melody, and timing.

Purpose: welcome, challenge, celebration, mourning

Peruperu

A war haka performed with taiaha or weapons, involving high leaps (the feet fully leave the ground). Performed before battle to invoke spiritual protection and display collective strength. Synchronised leaping demonstrated readiness and unity.

Purpose: pre-battle preparation, spiritual invocation

Ngeri

A short, vigorous haka without weapons, used to stir up energy and resolve. Ngeri are less formally structured than haka taparahi — they can be newly composed for specific occasions. This is the form this class will create today.

Purpose: encouragement, energy, resolve before a challenge

Haka Pōwhiri

Performed as part of the formal pōwhiri (welcome ceremony) on a marae. Tangata whenua (hosts) call manuhiri (visitors) onto the marae with this haka. The call signals peace, honour, and readiness to receive guests.

Purpose: formal welcome on a marae

Discussion Questions:

Why would a culture develop many distinct forms of performance for different occasions?
What is the equivalent in your own culture — different ceremonies or performances for different contexts?
Why is it inaccurate and disrespectful to call all haka "war dances"?

3. Class Creates a Ngeri (25 min)

Note: This is original creation — the class is not copying an existing haka. A ngeri is the most appropriate form for this activity: it is shorter, flexible, and intended to be composed for specific contexts and communities. Invite Māori staff, ākonga, or community members to advise if available.

Step 1 — What Is Our Message? (5 min)

Brainstorm together: What does this class or school stand for? What do you want to express?

Our school name and what it means to us
Our local maunga, awa, or rohe
A value we aspire to: manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga, tino rangatiratanga
Something we are proud of or a challenge we want to face

Step 2 — Draft the Words (10 min)

A ngeri typically features:

A strong opening call (leader calls, group responds)
Short, punchy lines — 4–8 syllables each
Repetition of a key phrase for emphasis and memory
A powerful closing statement — a declaration or challenge

Use te reo Māori where ākonga know the words. Bilingual ngeri are valid and meaningful — this is a common practice in contemporary kapa haka.

Simple Ngeri Structure — Template

Leader: [Opening call — short, strong]
All: [Group response — repeat or affirm]

Ko [our maunga]! — Ko [our awa]!
Ko [our school / hapori]!
Ko [a value or purpose — e.g., manaakitanga]!
Ko mātou ngā ākonga o tēnei wāhi! (We are the learners of this place!)

[Repeat core phrase 2–3 times, building intensity]

Closing: Āe! / Hui e, tāiki e!

Step 3 — Add Movement and Perform (10 min)

Practise the words together until they are rhythmically strong.
Add simple movements on key beats: stamp feet, raise fists, pound chest.
Practise call-and-response: kaiako or a nominated ākonga leads, the rest respond.
Perform the ngeri together as a whole class at least once — then debrief: what worked, what felt powerful?
Record if possible — a class video for portfolio and future reference.

4. Whakaaro — Reflection (10 min)

Haka as Protest and Power:

During the 1981 Springbok rugby tour, New Zealanders took to the streets to protest apartheid South Africa. Māori protesters used haka alongside banners and chants as a form of political expression. When the All Blacks perform Ka Mate before international matches, opposing teams sometimes respond with their own ritualised stance. In 2019, spontaneous haka were performed across Aotearoa in response to the Christchurch mosque attacks — a haka of grief, solidarity, and defiance. What makes haka so powerful that it demands a response, even across cultures?

Written Reflection (choose one):

What makes haka different from a speech or a song as political or cultural expression? What does embodiment add?
After creating your class ngeri — what did the process of collective creation feel like compared to individual work? What did it produce that a solo performance could not?
Haka can be an act of welcome, protest, mourning, or celebration. What does it say about a culture that one art form can hold all of these?

🌟 Extension & Cross-Curricular Connections

The All Blacks Haka Debate

Research: How has the All Blacks' use of Ka Mate changed over time? What agreement exists between NZ Rugby and Ngāti Toa Rangatira? How did France respond in 2007, and what was the reaction? What does this reveal about haka's power in an international context?

Haka in Contemporary Contexts

Haka is now performed at graduations, funerals, and political rallies. The 2019 Christchurch mosque attack response saw spontaneous haka across Aotearoa. Investigate one contemporary use: what was the context, and what did haka achieve that speech or music alone could not?

Kapa Haka as Art Form

Kapa haka (collective Māori performing arts) encompasses haka, waiata-ā-ringa, poi, and mōteatea. Te Matatini, held every two years, is the national kapa haka festival. Research one competing group — what is their whakapapa, and what story does their performance tell?

📊 Formative Assessment & Differentiation

Evidence to Gather

Haka type matching — can ākonga identify and explain each type with specificity?
Ngeri draft — written contribution to class composition.
Reflection — does ākonga connect haka to questions of cultural expression and political power?

Differentiation

Scaffold: Provide sentence starters for reflection; pre-labelled haka type cards for matching; ngeri template with guided prompts.
Extend: Compare Ka Mate with Kapa o Pango (composed 2005, Derek Lardelli). How does a contemporary haka differ in content and cultural strategy from a 19th century composition?
Wellbeing: Ākonga uncomfortable with physical performance may take the composer/wordsmith role in the ngeri activity — equally valued.

Resources

Video of Ka Mate performance (NZ On Screen or RNZ — culturally appropriate recording).
Haka types matching cards (printable).
Ngeri template worksheet.
Recording device for class ngeri (phone video is fine).

🙏 Karakia Whakamutunga

Unuhia, unuhia, unuhia ki uta rā.
Kia wātea, kia māmā.
Āe rā. Āe rā. Āe!

Haka teaches us that identity is not only written or spoken — it is embodied. To perform haka is to be fully present, carrying whakapapa in the body itself. The class ngeri created today belongs to this class and this moment in your shared story.

"Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te kōmako e kō?" — If the heart of the harakeke is removed, where will the kōmako sing? (Our community is our strength.)

Unit 1: Te Ao Māori — Cultural Identity and Knowledge