Brisbane Maori Families Keep Culture Alive Through Haka

Tangaroa Hau-Hadfield has a simple car rule for his three kids: speak only Te Reo Maori, no matter how long the drive. "Sometimes it makes the trip nice and quiet," he laughs.

It's one small way the Brisbane dad keeps Maori culture alive in his household, over 2,000 miles from New Zealand. "It's a lost culture, a lost language, and so it's our responsibility to get that back for us and for our kids," he says.

Hau-Hadfield left New Zealand's far north over a decade ago for mining work and built a life in Brisbane with his wife and three children. But something was missing until he found Te Kapa Haka o Te Kahu Ariki, a traditional Maori performing arts group based in Eagleby.

"This time last year, my partner and I were talking about moving back to New Zealand," he says. "The only real thing that kept us here was our kapa haka group."

Nearly 10,000 New Zealanders moved to Queensland last year, and many Maori families are finding ways to stay connected to their roots. Group leaders Andre and Gaylene Ahipene started Te Kahu Ariki three years ago after realizing how essential it was to their wellbeing.

"We would not be as healthy, as well, and as vibrant as we are if we didn't have haka in our life," Andre says. "Haka has been our fountain of youth, and the spring in our step in life."

The couple moved to Brisbane two decades ago for a break, but found themselves performing haka within days. Now they lead a group that's become family for dozens of Maori living far from home.

The Ripple Effect

Te Kahu Ariki is one of nine Australian kapa haka groups competing at the Australian Maori Kapa Haka Festival on the Gold Coast in late March. The winner earns a spot at Te Matatini 2027, the world's largest traditional Maori performing arts celebration.

"To actually go home and stand on your own land, to perform with your own people, it just takes it that whole other step higher," Gaylene says. For many members who left New Zealand seeking better opportunities, the chance to represent Australia at home would be life-changing.

The group rehearses every Sunday, teaching children the language and traditions their parents worry might disappear. Local Indigenous peoples have supported their efforts, understanding the importance of keeping culture alive wherever you are.

"When one practises who they truly are through tradition and through culture, you become closer to the land in which you live on," Andre says. He hopes more developmental conferences and language retreats will emerge as Queensland's Maori community grows.

For families like the Hau-Hadfields and Ahipenes, it all comes back to the next generation having what they need to carry their heritage forward.