Kapa Haka Group
At St Joseph’s we have a large and wonderful Kapa Haka group, ranging from Year 2 up to Year 8. The number of children who are keen to join in has been fantastic!
The children are committed and focussed. It takes discipline and self control to be part of such a large group, so high expectations of behaviour is paramount. We have lots of fun together and ensure everyone is treated with respect at all times.
Every week a taonga is given to one child from each syndicate who displays our values during our Kapa Haka sessions. This special taonga is returned to following week to go to a new recipient. Meeting together once a week for half an hour, we have been very busy this year learning lots of new waiata and Haka.
At the beginning of this term we were very excited to perform on Stage One down in the Red Square as a part of the Nelson Arts Festival. It was our first time doing this and we managed to take every available Kapa Haka team member. We were flowing off the stage to down in front of it. The children performed beautifully and their behaviour was impeccable. We were so proud of all of them!
We started out at the end of 2015 and we are slowly growing and improving over time. We are lucky to have a team of teachers working together to teach Kapa Haka and we are all on a journey together.
The sense of whanaungatanga that has developed in our group makes it very special. Our aim for the future is to look into uniforms or t-shirts for every member of our group. This may involve some group fundraising and we’re sure this is something the children and teachers will enjoy. Every year we welcome any children who would like to join us.