NCEA Level 1 Ngā Mahi a te Rēhia key terms

The broad Māori category for performing arts and recreational activities, covering song, dance, oratory and games performed for enjoyment, celebration, mourning or competition.

Enjoyment, pleasure or amusement; the quality of delight that distinguishes entertainment from work, and the root of the term for performing arts.

To entertain or amuse, and the entertainment itself; often used for a performance or event staged to delight an audience, such as at a hui or celebration.

A vigorous group performance involving posture, movement, facial expression and voice; a broad genre including war, welcome, mourning and celebration types rather than a single dance.

Song; the general term for sung items, including laments, love songs and action songs, often composed to record events, honour people or express emotion.

Action song; a modern-style song performed with synchronised hand and body movements, usually sung by a group and often accompanying a haka in performance.

A traditional chant or lament, often unaccompanied and delivered with a plaintive melodic line; a major body of composed poetry recording genealogy, land and grievance.

A lullaby or chant sung to soothe and educate a child, often containing references to ancestry, landmarks and the child's expected future role.

A particular kind of chant, usually fast and forceful, performed by a group to answer criticism or assert a claim; strongly rhythmic with driving delivery.

Incantation or prayer recited to address the spiritual realm; used to open events, bless people and places, and safeguard performers before and after a performance.

Formal oratory delivered on a marae, following set conventions of acknowledgement, genealogy and argument; a core performing art alongside haka and waiata.

A greeting or acknowledgement, spoken or sung, that recognises people, ancestors and places; often the opening section of a formal speech or welcome.

The formal welcome ceremony on a marae, moving through challenge, call, speeches, songs and greeting; performers of haka, waiata and whaikōrero all take part.

The challenge stage of a formal welcome, in which a warrior advances toward visitors and lays down a token to test their intent before they may proceed.

The high-pitched call performed by women to welcome visitors onto the marae, summon the dead and living, and mark each stage of the welcome ceremony.

A haka performed as part of a formal welcome, used to bring visitors onto the marae and support the speeches and songs that follow.

A haka-like performance of cursing or derision, traditionally used by women to express contempt or grief; a specialised and highly charged genre.

A haka performed without weapons, emphasising body movement, footwork and facial expression; commonly seen in modern competitive and welcome settings.

A haka performed with weapons and leaping movements, traditionally associated with war and now performed in competitions and ceremonial contexts.

A haka performed with short sticks or small implements, often by women, requiring precise timing and coordination of hand movements.

A performance object consisting of a weighted ball on a cord, swung in rhythmic patterns; also the dance genre built around these movements, commonly performed by women.

A stick game in which performers throw and catch short sticks in time with a chant; develops coordination and rhythm and is performed competitively and recreationally.

A long wooden weapon used in martial arts and in weapon haka, held with two hands and manipulated with quick thrusts, parries and stance changes.

Traditional Māori weapon-based movement arts, including staff and weapon handling, footwork and sparring; a performing art as well as a martial discipline.

A traditional building or space associated with entertainment and performance, where games, storytelling, music and dance took place in a community setting.

A performing group and the modern performance format combining haka, waiata ā-ringa, poi and chants in a staged bracket, often judged in competitions.

A group or team; in performing arts, the ensemble of performers who rehearse and present items together under leaders and tutors.

A leader of a performing group, often the person who calls cues, leads the haka or waiata, and directs the group's energy and timing during a performance.

A performer of haka; a member of a performing group who takes part in the items, responsible for correct words, actions and expression.

A composer; the person who creates the words and melodic line of a song or chant, often drawing on genealogy, history and local landmarks.

Hands or hand movements; in performance, the deliberate use of hands and arms to illustrate and emphasise the words of a song.

Dialogue or exchange of speech; in formal encounters, the alternating speeches between hosts and visitors that structure a welcome or discussion.

An elder; in performing arts, a respected senior who guides protocol, leads karakia and speeches, and advises the group on correct practice.

To remove restriction or tapu, making something ordinary and safe again; a ceremony often used to close a performance or event involving spiritual elements.

A state of restriction or sacredness attached to people, places or objects; performers must observe it, and breaches affect conduct and protocol.

A funeral rite or mourning gathering; performances of lament, chant and haka are central to it, expressing grief and honouring the deceased.

A dramatic performance or play; a staged enactment of story or history, distinct from song and haka but part of the wider performing arts.

Musical sound or instrument; the term covers instruments such as flutes and trumpets and the sounds they produce in performance.

A trumpet made from a shell, used to signal and to add a strong call at the start of ceremonies and performances.

A small cross-blown flute traditionally made from bone or wood, played in solo or ensemble settings to accompany song and ceremony.