Tirohanga whānui
Advance your practice in Māori performing arts
Māori Performing Arts celebrates expression that brings together culture, performance, and creativity. It is used to tell stories of the past and encourage self-reflection and growth.
Toi Paematua: Māori Performing Arts is designed to extend your abilities as a performer and creative practitioner, helping you grow into a confident kaitiaki of Māori performance.
You’ll deepen your understanding of tikanga, kawa, and creative processes while exploring the theory, technique, and self-discipline that underpin performance.
He aha tāu ka whiwhi?
Skills you will leave with
Completing this programme means you’ll be able to:
Uphold your responsibilities as a kaitiaki within Māori performing arts
Apply creative processes and practices, using reflection to improve your work
Demonstrate techniques and performance skills
Conduct rangahau (research) to inform creative decisions
Apply tikanga and kawa appropriately in rehearsal, performance and collaboration
Assist in leading and managing performance projects (planning, coordination and delivery)
Communicate and express your ideas through performance
Mā te mahi ka ako
Learn by doing
You will get to:
Explore your role as a kaitiaki of Māori performing arts
Develop your creative processes by reflecting on your performance
Strengthen your Māori performing arts techniques and skills
Carry out rangahau to inform your performance work
Apply tikanga and kawa in rehearsals, wānanga, hui and performances
Assist in leading and managing projects
Use Māori performing arts to express yourself
Paearu whakauru
Where will this take me?
On completion, you'll have the skills to:
Keep studying
Graduates might want to progress into higher-level Māori arts, teaching, or performing arts programmes.
Use at work
Work as a performer, tutor, or cultural facilitator within kapa haka, theatre, film, or education settings.
Community involvement
Share your skills through community or iwi-based performing arts groups, helping to preserve and grow Māori performance traditions.
He meka
Quick facts
- Level 5 (Intermediate)
- 120 Credits
- 38 Weeks
- NZ Diploma in Ngā Toi Level 5
- NZQA Accredited
- Fees apply
Paearu whakauru
Entry criteria
You can enrol if you:
Are 16 years or older
Are a NZ citizen or resident (includes Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau) or Australian citizen/permanent resident
Currently reside in New Zealand
Attend an interview with the kaiako
Have successfully completed Kāwai Raupapa: Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art (Level 4) or an equivalent ngā Toi qualification of at least 120 credits, or provide a portfolio showing relevant creative or performance experience
Fees and scholarships
The 2027 fee for this programme is:
$525 GST inclusive
Te wā
Time commitment
This programme is:
Full-time
120 credits
38 weeks long (includes holiday breaks)
Noho-based, with wānanga (workshops) and tutorials
Kōnae ako
Learning modules
Ki hea, mō āhea hoki au ako ai?
Where and when can I learn?
Kaupapa anamata
Upcoming events
Pitopito kōrero o te wā
Latest news
From the classroom to the world stage for toi kaiako
From the classrooms of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to the bright lights of New York City, toi kaiako Shawnee Tekii and Jordyn Daniels (Ngāi Tahu) took their creativity to the world stage earlier this year, showcasing their mahi toi across one of the world's most iconic cities.
From full-time māmā to future social worker
Like many māmā, Nickola Savage (Ngāti Rangitihi) has dedicated much of her time to her whānau, ensuring her 3 tamariki are cared for and supported. But alongside her role as a full-time māmā, Nickola felt ready to do something for herself.
Te Reo Kairangi – kia tika, kia rere, kia Māori, kia ora!
Ehara kē i te mea ko te angitu haeretanga o Te Reo Kairangi e mātāmua ana i ō Leon Blake whakaaro, engari ko ngā hua ka whakahokia e ngā tauira ki ō rātou iwi, ki ō rātou hapori, ki ngā uri whakaheke anō hoki.
Vote at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in the 2026 General Election
Selected Te Wānanga o Aotearoa campuses will be open as voting places during the 2026 General Election, making it easier for tauira, kaimahi, whānau and our wider communities to have their say.
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa launches new reo Māori programmes to help te reo thrive for generations to come
For over four decades, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has created pathways for generations of tauira to learn, speak, teach and live te reo Māori. That legacy has supported the return of te reo Māori to everyday life, from whānau learning their first kupu, to tauira carrying reo onto marae, and into workplaces, classrooms and homes.
Turning a passion for rongoā into community healing
Rongoā Māori has always been part of Patricia Tangira-Falwasser's life, but it was her studies at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that deepened her knowledge and inspired her to start a business that now serves her wider community.
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaimahi claims gold at Waka Ama World Championship
Ken Henry (Te Whakatōhea, Waikato-Tainui) is a Tauira Support Advisor at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Whakatāne campus who took home gold at the Waka Ama World Championships in Singapore in August.
A passion for taonga Māori takes Chanel to Oxford
What started as a desire to strengthen her reo Māori has taken Chanel Coromandel (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Whanaunga) on an unexpected path, leading to an opportunity to contribute to the care and preservation of taonga Māori at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England.
Reconnecting to te ao Māori through raranga
Haylee Roussel (Ngāti Rārua, Rangitāne, Ngāti Maniapoto) was searching for a way to reconnect with te ao Māori when she enrolled in the Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art, Raranga, at the Waiwhero campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
A journey shaped by whānau and a love of tamariki
Members of Tayla-Marie Takawe’s (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto) whānau were among the first tauira to graduate from the Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
