Haka o Kōwhai - Mahia te Mahi!

This haka was created on Wenerei te 16 o Oketopa 2024. It came about through an idea and some original writings in English by Matua Paul Cochrane. These were then tweaked and translated into Te Reo Maori by Matua Dion Prime. 

Matua Paul and Matua Jason originally discussed the idea of a haka that the Trades Academy could rally around and use at events like prizegiving or Athletics Day. In the same way Totara House rallied around their haka at appropriate occasions. They both felt it could bring the students together in a powerful way.

Matua Dion wanted to convey the characteristics of buildings and builders. The hope was that the students take the knowledge and skills given by their kaiako and transfer them to their communities. He also wanted to incorporate some of the building terminology and actions into this haka to make it specifically for them. 

The last concept in the haka is the undeniable value of hard work. The only place where success comes before hard work, is in the dictionary.

The actions were kindly provided by students of Totara House. These were Drisana Phillips-Hulmes, Alize Brown, Jacque Marsh, Phoenix George and Oranga Milne. They were then modified by Hawk McGregor and students of the Trades Academy.

After the haka was performed successfully for the first time at Athletics Day in 2025, it quickly became the haka of Kowhai House.