Skip Content
Kerry Proctor
  • Kerry Procter says kapa haka is an integral part of Māori and whānau culture in Tairāwhiti.

The strong passion for developing kapa haka skills in Tairāwhiti has prompted Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Gisborne to offer a targetted new course next year.

Kaiarataki Ako (lead educational delivery) Kerry Procter says the course for up to 25 people is designed to help individuals prepare for the next national Te Matatini kapa haka championships.

She says the Tairāwhiti region has real strengths in kapa haka and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa wants to help local people succeed on a national stage.

“Young people in particular are really keen to do performing art.

“Kapa haka is an integral part of Māori and whanau culture in Tairāwhiti.”

Kerry says kapa haka helps build skills in story-telling and assists our people to better understand their whakapapa through rangahau (research).

“It engages youth in a whole range of learning they really love.”

The course will be an addition to the already strong Māori arts courses offered by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Gisborne.

Kerry doesn’t expect problems filling the new kapa haka course. “It adds a new kind of mātauranga (knowledge) to our offering.”

Anyone interested can contact Te Wānanga o Aotearoa on 0800 355 553 or visit www.twoa.ac.nz for more information.

Meanwhile, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is also working with other tertiary education providers and the Government on an initiative to build up mātauranga on caring for kuia and koroua (elderly women and men).

“We’re very focused on working with our various community partners on initiatives that help spread mātauranga Māori for the benefit of all,” says Kerry.

 Back to news & events

Published On: 19 October, 2020

Article By: Stephen Ward



Other Articles

  • 31 July 2025

    Whānau fuelled success at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

    Nadia MacDonald’s journey through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s Diploma in Small Business and Project Management highlights the power of whānau support, Māori values, and practical learning. Discover how she balanced work, study, and parenting to achieve success and uplift her community.

  • 24 July 2025

    Tamariki once were cherished

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s Te Manawahoukura Rangahau Centre releases Taku Waipiataata, Taku Hei Tāwhiri, a powerful report calling for a revival of gentle, respectful Māori parenting. Discover how tūpuna child-rearing practices can transform whānau wellbeing and uplift future generations.

  • 24 July 2025

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa chief executive Evie O’Brien announced as Te Kura Toroa

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa celebrates its 40th anniversary by bestowing chief executive Evie O’Brien with the enduring title of Te Kura Toroa. Discover the cultural significance of this new role and its reflection of leadership, kaitiakitanga, and Māori values.

  • 23 July 2025

    Māori musician's reo Māori journey leads to wānanga kaiako role

    Jordyn Rapana, known as Jordyn With A Why, shares her inspiring journey of learning te reo Māori to raise her tamariki in a reo-speaking home. From immersion study to becoming a kaiako at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, discover how music, whānau, and culture shaped her path.