Ngā Hua Nui o te Kapa Haka

Ngā Hua Nui o te Kapa Haka will assess the impacts of kapa haka through the lens of Te Whare Tapawhā, incorporating the four aspects of taha wairua, taha hinengaro, taha tinana and taha whānau. By adopting the construct of Te Whare Tapawhā (and other Māori models of health and wellbeing as appropriate) the project seeks to gain a comprehensive understanding of the health-related benefits of being involved in kapa haka—an understanding which reflects the well-established view that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

The project team will gather material from a range of sources—literature, surveys and interviews—in order to complete the report. Interviews will be conducted with a range of kapa experts and participants (tutors, performers and whānau) and across different kinds of kapa (children and adults; performers on local, regional and national stages; urban and rural or iwi-based) in order to build a picture of the value of kapa haka across a diverse range of contexts.