Story: Kapa Haka

Kapa haka attire, 2014

Kapa haka attire, 2014

Tamatea Arikinui, a kapa haka from Ngāti Kahungunu, is seen at Hastings Sportsground during the 2014 Kahungunu regional competitions. The women (top) wear piupiu and tāniko bodices. The leader, to the left, is also wearing a korowai. The men (bottom) wear equivalent clothing, with tāniko tātua above piupiu. Tamatea Arikinui’s clothes reflect their iwi traditions – the tāniko patterns include a wave design representing the waters across which the Tākitimu waka travelled to New Zealand, and the whales on the bodices depict four female sperm whales which accompanied the canoe on the migration.

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How to cite this page:

Valance Smith, 'Kapa Haka - 20th-century innovations', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/43928/kapa-haka-attire-2014 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Valance Smith, published 22 Oct 2014, reviewed & revised 9 Feb 2023