Kapa haka in prisons: Competition for the number one spot to start this week

Inmates performing at the 2020 Hokai Rangi Whakataetae Kapa Haka competition. Photo / Department of Corrections

A kapa haka competition for New Zealand's prisons is set to kick off this week, with 16 jails taking part across Aotearoa.

The contest is taken very seriously - much like national kapa haka festival Te Matatini - with Corrections facilities from the north to the south gearing up to take the number one spot.

But it's more than a competition.

Whakataetae is part of the Hōkai Rangi strategy which was introduced in 2019 to address the over-representation of Māori in prisons.

It's a method said to reduce reoffending and an important pathway to help Māori reclaim their mana and identity.

"It's a vehicle for change that carries our te ao Māori world." Māori adviser and Whakataetae co-ordinator Mark Pirikahu told the Herald.

"It's important for their wellbeing, as much as reconnecting to their identity, culture and language."

"When you disconnect yourself from the elements of your identity, culture and language, it certainly brings a different perspective to an individual and the impact it has on those around them."

"There's fulfillment spiritually and physically."

Whakataetae 2021 starts on June 22 in Kaikohe, ahead of Matariki (the Māori new year).

Judges will travel the country visiting each Corrections facility where performances will be live-streamed for other participating teams to watch.

Their finishing destination will be in Invercargill, ending the competition on July 16.

The judges have been selected carefully, from a team with experience in smashing out first place in Te Matatini five times over.

Founders of winning team Te Waka Huia have been brought in to focus on the judging, with the help of Māori service provider Te Wehi Haka.

Directors across the board have told the Herald it's an exciting event and Arohata Women's Prison director Pippa Carey says it also brings healing and inspiration.

Observing the journeys of her team, Carey told the Herald one person in particular arrived into her care with "many challenges".

"Her belief was that she was broken. We saw that there was a cultural disconnection." Carey said.

"Now she's writing her own waiata about her trauma to help move herself forward and is a leader in our kapa haka group."

"Being part of a group like kapa haka creates a safe space for your identity, to learn your whakapapa, to know your turangawaewae, to know who you are."

"But it's also heaps of fun."

"This is a vehicle that can lessen the impact on society that got them here in the first place. A reconnection to their culture is where we all need to lean into."

Northern Regional Corrections' Facility residential manager Simon Braiden told the Herald they're "really excited" about the event.

Whakataetae 2020 particpants. Photo supplied / Mark Pirikahu

"We completed a competition last year and saw real positive results that came from it. It brought our men closer together with our staff."

"I saw a difference in the men being able to relax and be their authentic selves."

Kapa haka for the northern facility was able to bring the men closer to their families too, a crucial part of their rehabilitation.

The men were said to have supported one another in last year's competition, given that this was something out of their comfort zone.

"The support they were all able to give each other was amazing."

"This year we've had more time to prepare, so more people are involved. We've expanded it to include staff as well, we're really excited."

The theme for this year is Whānau – a key part of the Hōkai Rangi strategy. A separate trophy will be given to the prison which epitomises the theme.

Winners of the competition will be announced in August.

"There's a lot of discipline in kapa haka, there's a lot of teamwork, and learning, and there's a lot of history to what the performances are about." Minister of Corrections Kelvin Davis said.

"It instils a great sense of pride, mana and achievement, which for many of the participants, might be something they have not experienced for some time."

Davis told the Herald although the Māori imprisonment rate is still too high, it is decreasing.

For Māori, the imprisonment rate at March 2018 was 716 per 100,000.

At 31 January 2021, it was 533 per 100,000, a 25 per cent reduction over three years.

There are 830 fewer Māori in prison today, compared to March 2018, a 15 per cent reduction over three years.

In March 2018, the number of Māori in prison stood at 5,370. As of 31 March 2021, there were 4,546 Māori in prison in New Zealand.