Kapa Haka in the 21st century: Reaching past the ‘powers that be’ to grow the art form

Abstract

In this paper I will explore what is it in Kapa Haka (Māori Performing Arts) that maintains or retains ‘old ways of knowing’ where, instead, it could present itself today in ‘new ways of doing’. The question arises: Why, in this ‘new’ age of Kapa Haka, do Kapa Haka tutors and performers insist on reproducing onstage, components of ‘old’ tikanga marae (customary marae practices)? Is it because some tutors and performers have not yet reconciled with the fact that Kapa Haka taken to the stage is theatre and therefore opens the way for a performance that is not based on tikanga? Why, in this millennium, are the same judging processes of Te Matatini^[1] that have been in place for some forty years still being maintained. Why have we not explored further and implemented a new competitive judging system?