Mau Rākau - Māori Martial Arts

Mau rākau is an art form that is unique to Aotearoa, and this qualification allows those who have previously studied mau rākau the opportunity to advance their skills towards becoming a practitioner and contributor of a Māori martial art.

Designed to advance your current practices and techniques, you'll hone your skills through a number of different projects.

Focus on advancing your creative processes, putting what you learn into practice, deepening your understanding of the history of mau rākau and improving yourself and your fitness levels.

When you pass this programme, you'll get this qualification:

• New Zealand Diploma in Ngā Toi Level 5 (Mau Rākau)

• Māori weaponry
• advanced mau rākau practices
• the history and whakapapa of mau rākau
• effective time management and organisation
• health and safety that relates to mau rākau practices
• assess the creative process of mau rākau and its application

• apply technical, theoretical and operational skills and knowledge in area of specialty to inform art form development
• analyse standard and non-standard processes of artistic evolution and variation, and apply to art form practice in area of specialty
• apply a range of technical skills and knowledge to create solutions for a range of familiar and unfamiliar Ngā Toi problems in area of specialty
• create and complete a body of work within area of specialty
• assist in the management and/or support the leadership of a Ngā Toi project in area of specialty

This qualification is intended for practitioners seeking to broaden operational, technical and theoretical knowledge, consistent with tikanga and reo in Mau Rākau.

Graduates of this qualification will contribute to New Zealand as self-managing practitioners of Ngā Toi within defined contexts able to complete projects, and assist in the management, leadership, and kaitiakitanga of Ngā Toi.

This is a full-time programme that consists of 120 credits delivered over 38 weeks. Some of our locations offer different delivery modes. These will be confirmed by your local campus and might include:

Option 1 Face-to-face delivery

• kura whakaako - compulsory tutorials (10 hours per week)
• 4 x 1-day wānanga (10 hours each)

You'll also need to complete learning activities designed to enhance your learning for:

• approximately 22 hours per week

Option 2 Noho delivery

• 10 x noho (25 hours per noho)
• 1-day wānanga (10 hours)
• kura whakaako - compulsory tutorials (4 hours per week)

You'll also need to complete learning activities designed to enhance your learning for:

• approximately 22 hours per week

Some of the learning activities will need to be completed online. You'll need access to an internet connected device for this programme.

To enrol in this programme, a potential student must:

• be at least 16 years of age
• be a New Zealand citizen (or citizen of Australia, Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands) or permanent resident
• reside in New Zealand
• have successfully completed Kāwai Raupapa Level 4, or an equivalent Level 4 Ngā Toi qualification of at least 120 credits, or a portfolio showing evidence of equivalent experience
• attend an interview and selection process to demonstrate suitability to the programme

I want to keep studying

You might be eligible to enrol on our master's programme, He Waka Hiringa - Master of Applied Indigenous Knowledge Level 9.

I want to use my qualification

With skills at this level you'll be able to share your knowledge with others interested in learning mau rākau. You'll also be able to support your whānau, marae, hapū and iwi in pōwhiri and other ceremonial events.

Toi Awe - Creative Process | 30 Credits

Apply broad knowledge, practical and conceptual skills in the production of creative work. 

Toi Iro - Exploration | 30 Credits

Analyse own and others’ artistic evolution and variation, applying insights to creative work.

Toi Raupapa - Organisation | 30 Credits

Assist in the management, creation and completion of a toi project.

Toi Hanga - Creation | 30 Credits

Create and complete creative work in a chosen Kaupapa Toi.