Te Whakapotaetanga: A Day of Haka and Hangi

E tupu e rea mō ngā rā o tō ao
Arahina tō iwi e
Tō ngākau ki ngā taonga a ō tupuna
Tō wairua ki te ariki
Kia koutou katoa e nga rangatahi
He oranga ō te ao katoa
Kia mau, kia kaha, pupuritia te mana o nga tūpuna

Māori Graduation for semester one was held on 24 May 2025, the week after the official graduation ceremonies held by the University of Auckland. The event was hosted by Ngā Tauira Māori (NTM), the Māori Students Association, at Waipapa Marae and lasted an approximate six hours involving a haka pōwhiri, morning tea, graduation celebrations, hākari, and a performance by the student association. The day celebrated around 35 graduates and their whānau, ranging from undergraduates to a doctorate.  

Raukura (graduating students) may choose to attend the event and invite as many of those who they would like to celebrate with them. Throughout the day, raukura are called up and gifted a taonga, where they must then give a speech or kōrero, followed by a waiata tautoko. The kōrero may be as long or short as the raukura would want, though most tend to keep it succinct, thankfully, and the waiata is up to the choosing of the speaker/s. The day then ends with a hākari (feast) before sending the raukura and whānau off on their day.

Planning began around week five of lectures, based on the comment of a previous executive member of NTM, while the date was attempted to be locked in earlier. Though usually the event would be the same week as the graduation ceremonies run by the university, having the ceremony did present some frustrations amongst raukura. Due to Māori Grad being a week after walking the stage, it was difficult for whānau that lived outside of Auckland to come back for another event as well as for graduates to rehire their regalia—causing extra costs all around. In the opening address by the Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori Office (PVC Māori), an apology was made for this inconvenience.

With the event being completely organised and run by students, this stands as one of the most unique events held at the university as described by Hiwa Majurey, one of the Tumuaki (Presidents) for 2025. Another member of the executive team, Ti’an Paretoa as Kaiāwhina (Secretary), said that the basis of the event comes from the relationship of tuakana/teina which helps students show more love and effort towards putting on a great day. When asked about how non-NTM members could support, Paretoa commented that the current system of running Māori Graduation works so it’s difficult to see how others might be able to help without completely handing over control to the university.

“If [Māori Graduation] was an official ceremony, the university would run it and that’s not what the students want.”

Multiple other members and alumni were asked about the possibility of turning the graduation into an official ceremony, like the one offered at Victoria University, however all commentors expressed the fear of what changes would occur. The main commonalities were the possibility of having less student involvement and a cap on the number of whānau allowed to support graduates. The event also provides a space for tauira to get marae training away from home in a safe place to learn, and therefore handing this over to someone else to handle would impact the opportunity for future students to learn.

These concerns show how important student involvement is to the identity of the event. That involvement is reflected in the four key areas of mahi that tauira take responsibility for to pull off a successful Māori Graduation: the wharenui, the wharekai, the kitchen, and the hangi pit.

The wharenui has the main responsibility of running the graduation celebration, with a coordination team and a waiata team. The coordination team handles the process and order of the graduates being acknowledged and gifted taonga, liaising with the MCs to keep things running smoothly. The role of the waiata group is support any raukura and their whānau with a waiata tautoko if they do not have or know one. The waiata chosen are typically done so by understanding the kōrero given by the raukura and selecting a waiata that compliments or follows the themes given in the speech.

The wharekai is responsible for dining area operations and coordination with the kitchen. This area handles the set-up for the post-pōwhiri morning tea and must transition to a multi-table dining layout to seat all the manuhiri at the event. The layout must also allow space for the tables holding all the buffet-style food and still have room for a performance from NTM.

The kitchen is self-explanatory, being responsible for catering the event. This team bases their numbers off the registered graduates, in previous years using a 1:10 ratio of graduates bringing approximately nine people with them. This meant that semester one events would see to anywhere from 300 to 500 people needing to be catered for, with semester two seeing around 200 to 300 people.

The hangi pit boys are responsible for just that, the cooking of the hangi. They tend to be up from 2am onwards to get the pit lit and must maintain the fire throughout the morning. This helps ensure a steady cooking of the food when it goes into the ground.

All this preparation and hard work comes together on the day itself, a celebration that is deeply emotional, communal, and entrenched in Te Ao Māori. The day started with a 9AM haka pōwhiri, involving a wero from nine tauira—the most seen in recent years. The brigade of Ngā Tauira Māori called the raukura, whānau, and manuhiri onto Waipapa marae, making sure the haka lasted long enough to get everyone into their seats. After the formalities of the pōwhiri process, morning tea was waiting for everyone: a buffet of savoury snacks, pumpkin soup, and various biscuits for your koro’s cup of tea. Then it was straight to the celebrations, starting with the highest form of education of the doctoral graduate and moving down the line to the endless list of undergraduates. Waiata and haka didn’t go amiss, coming from both whānau and NTM in support of those they love. A tauira commented that they enjoyed “supporting friends on their long arduous journey in a university that wasn’t built for us, but they built a space for us.” The final haka for the final raukura was bittersweet, sending off another cherished member of NTM but it was time for hākari, and everyone was ready to eat. Pork, chicken, ham, potato, carrots, stuffing, salads, fried bread, and a table for all the desserts—you name it, they ate it. While the lines for kai dwindled as everyone found their seats, NTM was prepared with their performance of waiata from all around Aotearoa. A perfect ending to a day that celebrates Māori success.

For many, the memories of Māori Grad also bring dreams of the future. When asked of their dreams for the event, the biggest idea that tauira brought up was the opportunity to host a mokopapa Waipapa Marae for the graduates, an event allowing graduates to be gifted tā moko as a physical reminder of their hard work over their studies. Some other ideas brought up were having more academics show up, including the Vice Chancellor, having more ceremonies which means more graduates and therefore more budget, and even a half-time performance from a Te Matatini finalist group.

These dreams from tauira aren’t just logical, they’re also aspirational. They speak to a future of an evolving Māori Graduation, led by the tauira themselves. A mokopapa, more Māori graduating, and a Vice Chancellor standing to tautoko. These aren’t wish list items that would be nice to have. It is a call for resourcing, for recognition, and for respect. If the kaupapa stays under the leadership of tauira, with support from more avenues, the event will not just survive but thrive and feed generations to come.

Because you're magic
You're magic people to me
You're magic people to me
So hold your head up high, let your voices fly
Be proud to be Māori