The Haka Party Incident resurrects the eventful day in Auckland in 1979 when a group of University of Auckland engineering students rehearsing their annual tradition of a mock haka were challenged by the activist group, He Taua. The incident, which lasted three minutes, sent ripples through the nation and changed race relations forever.
To create this production, award-winning filmmaker and theatre director Katie Wolfe (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Toa Rangatira) recorded the recollections of many of the key figures involved in the incident, who are vividly represented on stage by a terrifically talented cast.
The result is a riveting theatre-documentary where live drama and kapa haka combine to powerful effect.
The Haka Party Incident had a sell-out two-week season at the Auckland Arts Festival, where it gathered a haul of excellent reviews.