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| Ngā Aho Whakamārama | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ngā Aho Whakamārama |
| Formation | 2010s |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Headquarters | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Region served | Aotearoa |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Ngā Aho Whakamārama is a New Zealand-based kaupapa Māori organisation focused on cultural revitalisation, kapa haka, reo Māori transmission, and community development across Tāmaki Makaurau and Aotearoa. The organisation integrates tikanga and mātauranga Māori with contemporary arts, heritage preservation, and social services, working alongside iwi, hapū, and national institutions to support language, performance, and rangatiratanga initiatives. Ngā Aho Whakamārama engages with schools, marae, arts festivals, and government agencies to deliver programming that strengthens Māori identity and intergenerational knowledge.
Ngā Aho Whakamārama operates at the intersection of iwi, hapū, marae, and urban Māori communities, liaising with Waikato-Tainui, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Whātua, Tūhoe, Te Arawa, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Tauihu o te Waka-a-Māui, Te Tai Tokerau, Te Tai Rāwhiti, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Te Urewera, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Raukawa, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Ruanui, Tainui, Kaupapa Māori Collective, Māori Television, Te Puni Kōkiri, Manatū Taonga, Creative New Zealand, Auckland Council, and national festivals such as Te Matatini and Pasifika Festival to present kapa haka, waiata, and tikanga workshops. The organisation maintains links with tertiary providers including University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Otago, Lincoln University, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Massey University, Waikato University and vocational institutions like Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology for curriculum alignment and research partnerships.
Founded in the 2010s, Ngā Aho Whakamārama emerged from collaborations among kaumātua, kapa haka leaders, educators, and artists responding to declining intergenerational fluency and participation in reo Māori and Māori performing arts. Early supporters and collaborators included representatives from Te Māori exhibition organisers, trustees from Waitangi Tribunal-engaged hapū, cultural advisors associated with Te Papa Tongarewa, funders from Lottery Grants Board, and educational champions linked to Kohanga Reo National Trust. The organisation’s establishment drew on precedents set by movements like Ngā Tamatoa, initiatives such as the Māori Language Petition (nineties), and policy frameworks advanced by Māori Language Act 1987 and later engagement with Maihi Māori strategies.
Ngā Aho Whakamārama’s mission centres on revitalising reo Māori and kapa haka practice while supporting cultural sovereignty and community wellbeing. Programmes include kapa haka rehearsals, waiata-a-ringa workshops, haka training, raranga sessions, and kaupapa reo immersion days delivered across marae and urban centres in collaboration with organisations such as Kapa Haka National Competitions, Ngā Kura ā Iwi, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Kohanga Reo, Mauri Ora, Te Matakite, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, Hauora Māori services, and Whānau Ora initiatives. The organisation also curates exhibitions and performance projects that engage partners like Auckland Arts Festival, New Zealand Festival of the Arts, The Civic (Auckland) and TAUTAI Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust.
Training delivered by Ngā Aho Whakamārama spans teacher professional development, youth leadership, kaumātua mentoring, and accredited modules co-designed with tertiary institutions such as University of Waikato, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, NorthTec, Ara Institute of Canterbury and Unitec Institute of Technology. Programmes align with national qualifications recognised by NZQA and draw on pedagogies from practitioners linked to Toi Māori Aotearoa, Kapa Haka National Collective, Māori Educators’ Network, Te Ataarangi and established curriculum guides used in NZ primary schools and secondary schools where kapa haka is integrated into arts and cultural studies. Youth apprenticeships connect rangatahi with mentors who have performed at Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival, World Hip Hop Dance Championship delegations, and provincial competitions.
Partnerships are extensive and include cultural institutions, iwi authorities, philanthropic funders, and arts organisations. Notable collaborative partners have included Te Papa Tongarewa, Auckland War Memorial Museum, MOTAT, Waitangi National Trust, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Creative New Zealand, WINZ-aligned employment providers, Department of Conservation, Manaaki Whenua, and private supporters such as ANZ New Zealand, Air New Zealand, Fonterra, and community trusts like Lion Foundation and Todd Foundation. These partnerships underpin touring performances, community initiatives, research projects, and policy dialogues with agencies including Te Puni Kōkiri.
Ngā Aho Whakamārama’s work has contributed to increased participation in kapa haka, measurable gains in reo Māori engagement among participants, and strengthened marae-based programming across regions including Northland, Waikato, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, and Dunedin. Recognition has come through invitations to major events hosted by Te Matatini, awards or commendations from Creative New Zealand, and collaborative exhibition credits at Te Papa Tongarewa and regional museums. The organisation’s alumni have progressed to roles within Manatū Taonga, Te Puni Kōkiri, iwi-run entities, arts organisations, and political offices.
Governance is typically provided by a board comprising kaumātua, cultural practitioners, legal advisors, and representatives from iwi and funders, interfacing with entities such as Charities Services and complying with reporting expectations familiar to trustees engaged with Charitable Trusts Act 1957 frameworks. Funding is a mix of project grants, philanthropic support, sponsorships from corporate partners, contestable arts funding via Creative New Zealand, and contracts with agencies like Te Puni Kōkiri and local councils including Auckland Council and regional councils. Financial stewardship includes auditing practices common to organisations partnered with Community Trusts and professional services drawn from firms that advise iwi and nonprofit governance.
Category:Māori organisations