Te Matatini champion Kereama Wright on power of kapa haka

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kereama Wright (Te Arawa), senior member of haka rōpū Ngāti Whakaue and Te Matatini 2025 champion, says kapa haka is a form of rongoā – healing body, mind and spirit – and one of the strongest expressions of Māori culture.

“It’s a vehicle for us to tell stories – stories of triumph, stories of oppression, stories about the birth of our children – but it’s a vehicle to continue our history, our stories and our legacy, and pass it on to our future generations,” he told RNZ.

Before cameras and social media, Māori preserved knowledge and stories through whakairo, waiata and mōteatea that traversed generations, Wright said.

“That’s why it’s important for me to perform and keep practising kapa haka – because it’s about an expression of our culture.”

Wright said kapa haka was also a statement of survival.

“It’s telling the oppressor that you’re never going to kill us, you’re never going to get rid of us, no matter how you try. Despite all the legislation you can put in place, we’re still here and we’re not going anywhere.

The whakapapa of haka

Wright said the origins of haka could be traced back to Tāne-Rore and Hine-Rēhia.

Tāne-Rore, the personification of shimmering heatwaves and the origin of dance, is the son of Tamanui-Te-Rā (the Sun) and Hine-Raumati (the Summer Maiden). When the land is hot and the air shimmers, Tāne-Rore performs the haka for his mother.

This is represented on stage through the trembling hand movement, known as wiriwiri or ‘Te Haka a Tāne-Rore’.

Hine-te-Rēhia is the goddess of entertainment, pleasure and games. Her influence ensures audiences are entertained and engaged, known as ‘Ngā Mahi a Hine-te-Rēhia’, performed on the stage or Te Whaitua o Rēhia.

“Over time, haka was used by our ancestors to prepare for battle,” Wright said. “Mentally, physically and spiritually.”

Today, haka is seen on the international stage, for example with the All Blacks, used to honour opponents or guests.

“All of those various expressions are still relevant today,” he said.

“Nowadays, it’s a heavily contested competition, but at the root of something like Te Matatini is practising our culture, keeping it alive and letting the world know that we’re still here.”

At the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education 2025, which took place over the week in Tāmaki Makaurau, crowds were given the opportunity to see the Matatini champions in action.

Wright said the message Ngāti Whakaue brought to the kaupapa was ‘Poua te Aroha’ – “share the love and spread the love”.

“It’s an ingredient that’s absent in many countries around the world, but it’s at the heart of everything we do as Indigenous peoples.”

He believes all indigenous cultures have a lot in common.

“We are fighting for our survival – the survival of our language, the retention of our land and the survival of our culture,” he said. “If we can’t practice now, if we don’t continue practising our culture and the teachings of our ancestors, then the coloniser will win.

“It’s important that we keep practising, and pass on variations of kapa haka, culture and dance to our children, so that our stories can live on.”

He also described kapa haka as a form of rongoā or Māori medicine.

“Not only for the body, physically, but the movement, the sound, the beats. It’s been scientifically proven that it can reduce dementia – it’s rongoā for illnesses like that.”

“You’ll see groups who live by the sea dance differently to groups like Tūhoe, who live in the bush. The movements we perform depict the environments we come from.

“We are the environment. That’s why it’s important for us to keep moving the way we do – it benefits mental, physical and spiritual health as well.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand