• Kerry Procter says kapa haka is an integral part of Māori and whānau culture in Tairāwhiti.

The strong passion for developing kapa haka skills in Tairāwhiti has prompted Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Gisborne to offer a targetted new course next year.

Kaiarataki Ako (lead educational delivery) Kerry Procter says the course for up to 25 people is designed to help individuals prepare for the next national Te Matatini kapa haka championships.

She says the Tairāwhiti region has real strengths in kapa haka and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa wants to help local people succeed on a national stage.

“Young people in particular are really keen to do performing art.

“Kapa haka is an integral part of Māori and whanau culture in Tairāwhiti.”

Kerry says kapa haka helps build skills in story-telling and assists our people to better understand their whakapapa through rangahau (research).

“It engages youth in a whole range of learning they really love.”

The course will be an addition to the already strong Māori arts courses offered by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Gisborne.

Kerry doesn’t expect problems filling the new kapa haka course. “It adds a new kind of mātauranga (knowledge) to our offering.”

Anyone interested can contact Te Wānanga o Aotearoa on 0800 355 553 or visit www.twoa.ac.nz for more information.

Meanwhile, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is also working with other tertiary education providers and the Government on an initiative to build up mātauranga on caring for kuia and koroua (elderly women and men).

“We’re very focused on working with our various community partners on initiatives that help spread mātauranga Māori for the benefit of all,” says Kerry.