NCEA L1 Te Ao Haka key terms

The body of Māori performing arts, including haka, waiata, poi, and moteatea. It is a distinct subject area that studies performance as an expression of Māori culture, identity, and history.

A disciplined Māori performance form using movement, stance, facial expression, and voice. It can express welcome, challenge, grief, celebration, or protest, and is not limited to war dances.

A Māori song. Waiata carry history, genealogy, love, grief, or political messages, and are often performed to support or follow a haka or speech.

A traditional Māori lament or chant with a set poetic form, often performed without set actions. Moteatea preserve tribal history, genealogy, and emotion through sung or chanted delivery.

A Māori action song in which performers use hand and body movements to illustrate the words. It is a modern form, often composed for gatherings, competitions, and social occasions.

A performance form in which a weighted ball on a cord is swung and twirled in patterns, usually by women, often alongside song. Poi develops coordination and is used in kapa haka.

A Māori performing arts group. Kapa haka perform items such as haka, waiata, poi, and moteatea together, and compete at events including Te Matatini.

A major national kapa haka festival and competition held regularly in Aotearoa New Zealand. Groups qualify through regional competitions and perform a set programme of items before judges.

A challenge performed during pōwhiri, traditionally by a warrior testing the intentions of visitors. A taki or branch may be laid down, and a visitor picks it up to show peaceful intent.

A formal Māori welcome ceremony for visitors onto a marae. It follows a sequence including wero, karanga, whaikōrero, haka, and hongi, and establishes relationships between groups.

A high-pitched call, usually by women, that opens and guides a pōwhiri. It welcomes visitors, acknowledges the dead, and connects the two groups before speeches.

Formal Māori oratory, usually by men, delivered on the marae. Speakers use set structures, genealogy, and tribal references to address the gathering and honour the dead.

A greeting or acknowledgement, often spoken or sung. A mihi may introduce the speaker, name their connections, and acknowledge people, places, and events relevant to the occasion.

A personal or group introduction that names connections to land, water, mountain, ancestors, and tribe. It locates a person within a place and their whakapapa.

A traditional greeting in which two people press noses and share breath. It is a sign of mutual respect and connection, and usually concludes the formal part of a pōwhiri.

A communal Māori place with buildings and open ground used for gatherings, ceremonies, and discussion. The marae ātea is the open area where pōwhiri and haka may take place.

The main meeting house on a marae, often representing an ancestor. Carvings and panels inside carry genealogy and tribal stories, and the building is used for meetings and sleeping guests.

Genealogy and lines of descent linking people to ancestors, land, and the natural world. Whakapapa underpins identity and is often referenced in mihi, waiata, and whaikōrero.

Relationships and kinship ties that bind people together. In performance it describes how a group supports one another and how performers connect with the audience and the occasion.

The practice of hospitality, care, and generosity towards others. On the marae it shapes how visitors are welcomed and hosted, and it is reflected in the conduct of a performing group.

A deliberate widening of the eyes, often with tongue extended, used in haka and waiata. It heightens emotion and intensity and is a recognisable feature of Māori performance.

The act of protruding the tongue during performance, often alongside pūkana. It is used to intensify expression and is a well-known gesture within haka.

A performance item that clears the way or space, often used to open a kapa haka bracket. It may include movement, chant, and ritual actions that prepare performers and audience.

Spirit, or the spiritual dimension of a person or performance. In Te Ao Haka it refers to the feeling and underlying essence that give a performance meaning and impact.

The life force or vital essence of a person, object, or place. Performers may consider mauri when composing or presenting an item and when engaging with a marae or audience.

Prestige, authority, or standing that a person or group holds. In performance, mana is upheld through preparation, discipline, and respectful treatment of the material being performed.

Māori customs and correct procedure for doing things. Tikanga guides behaviour on the marae, the order of a pōwhiri, and how performers treat people, places, and knowledge.

The specific protocols of a particular marae or group. Kawa can vary between iwi and hapū, so performers learn the expectations of the place where they are performing.

A Māori funeral gathering held over several days, usually on a marae. It includes speeches, waiata, and moteatea, and haka may be performed to express grief and support the bereaved.

A traditional Māori lullaby or chant for children. Oriori often contain genealogy, tribal knowledge, and hopes for the child, and are delivered in a gentle sung or chanted style.

A traditional Māori chant performed with rapid, forceful delivery, often by a leader with group response. Pātere are associated with protest, grievance, and the assertion of tribal identity.

A traditional Māori chant of abuse or curse, often performed by women. Kaioraora express anger or grievance and are a recognised form within the wider body of Māori chant.

A haka performed without weapons, using body, voice, and stance. It is a common modern form and may be performed on the marae, at competitions, and at public events.

Traditional Māori songs and chants passed down through generations. The term covers older forms such as moteatea, oriori, and pātere, which carry history and tribal knowledge.

A composer or writer of a performance item. Kaitito create the words and structure of haka, waiata, and other items, drawing on language, history, and the purpose of the occasion.

A leader of a kapa haka group, often the person who calls cues and leads the performance. Kaitātaki direct the group's timing, energy, and transitions between items.

A performer of haka. Kaihaka are members of a kapa haka group who learn the items, master the movements, and perform with the group's collective energy and discipline.

An artist or creative practitioner. In Te Ao Haka the term can describe composers, choreographers, and performers who create and shape new work within the tradition.

A place where a person has the right to stand, usually through ancestry and connection to a marae. It links identity to land and community and is often expressed in pepeha and mihi.