Leadership & Advisory
Haka workshop for teams
This is team building. It asks your team to be part of it: the physical haka, where participants work through four Māori principles — wero, kotahitanga, mana and whakapapa.
What your team actually learns
A haka is built from a small number of things done precisely, and each of them carries meaning that transfers directly into how a team works: the stance, the breath, the voice, the words and unity. Our workshop is based on our four-part framework, grounded in Māori concepts — wero, the challenge; kotahitanga, unity; mana, prestige and pride; and whakapapa, history and legacy.
The stance and the breath
Where the power comes from. A haka is held from the ground up, and the breath is what carries the voice across a room without amplification.
The kupu (words), with meaning
The words, and what they mean. The words give context, depth and meaning to what we are presenting.
Our framework
Wero
the challenge
The haka is a form of challenge; you are asked to meet it head on, to take up the challenge and be part of the team. In its original context, the wero is how a visitor’s intent is tested. In a haka workshop, it is the threshold.
Kotahitanga
unity
Kotahitanga is about unity: of thought, of purpose and of intention. In a haka workshop it is the physical unity of everyone holding the beat of the haka — a single heartbeat, heard audibly through the collective stomping of the foot, the takahi.
Mana
prestige and pride
Mana represents influence, authority, prestige and effectiveness. Standing together as a team in one beat, one shared purpose, is a powerful image. Strength and power in haka come from your voice and your presence — how you stand and how you deliver. Hā, your breath, linked to your infinite self. Kā, to ignite that breath. Every person has their own authority and prestige they bring into the room. We ask you to bring that into your voice and your stance, and in doing so to uplift the prestige of the haka.
Whakapapa
history and legacy
Whakapapa is the term for genealogy, but its literal meaning is to lay a flat surface upon another. It recognises that we are a link in a chain that goes back generations and will continue into the future. In the workshop we recognise each person’s history and story, and ask you to draw on your own inner strength. While haka is a Māori expression grounded in custom and history, the ability to draw on your inner strength and work towards a shared goal grounded in purpose is universal.
Keynotes & seminars
Courage, unity and leadership under pressure
Our keynotes speak on courage, unity and performing under pressure, on connection to legacy, on collective commitment to a shared purpose, and on working as a team — through the lens of Māori cultural knowledge and haka.
Haka itself is the ignition of the breath of life: hā, the breath; kā, to ignite. While haka is a Māori expression grounded in custom and history, the ability to draw on your inner strength and work towards a shared goal grounded in purpose is universal. Haka and its pedagogies are grounded in Māori philosophy, and are the framework by which we ask you to enter, to accept the challenge and engage, and to share the breath of fire within.
The keynote works on its own, or alongside a performance so the audience sees the thing described and then sees it done. Suited to conferences, leadership offsites, awards evenings and university programmes.
Cultural advisory
Museums, institutions, brands, content creation and arts practitioners. Tikanga (Māori custom and protocol) and protocol
We advise museums, institutions and organisations that hold or exhibit Māori taonga (treasured objects), or that engage in Māori protocols. We provide cultural advisory services for Māori cultural experiences, delegations and trade, for protocols on the use and handling of Māori artefacts, and for content creation — whether film, podcast, photography, theatre or television.
Engagements run from a single consultation to an ongoing relationship.
Part of the cultural advisory team for the New Zealand Olympic Team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Olympic Games. He led Te Mana Tū to Sharjah Cultural Week in 2018, is lead cultural advisor for Ngāti Rānana London Māori Club, advises on many events across London and Europe, and advises New Zealand government and non-government bodies on tikanga, engagement, and responsibilities.
Translation & te reo Māori
Te reo Māori translation: verified, written and spoken
Our chief executive is a licensed translator who worked on the translation of the Māori Language Act and who leads the live simultaneous translation of the Te Matatini national haka competitions.
We translate written material, prepare spoken text for events, and check te reo that has already been drafted. Engagements run from a single piece of copy to an ongoing relationship.
He is a first-language speaker of te reo Māori and a registered translator in both written and spoken form. He was one of five jurilinguists who led quality assurance on the te reo Māori translation of the Māori Language Act 2016, and he currently supports Victoria University of Wellington in integrating tikanga (Māori custom and protocol) across its entire law degree.
Haka International
Māori kaihaka living in London. Haka performances, workshops and leadership programmes, led and taught by Māori, across the UK, Europe and worldwide.
Haka International is a trading name of Māori Consulting Limited, a company registered in England and Wales, company number 16605852.
