Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School is excited to present The Haka Party Incident, by Katie Wolfe
The Haka Party Incident takes us back to 1 May, 1979. University of Auckland engineering students dress up, perform a mock haka, and rampage across the university and Auckland streets. Māori have complained for years, but nothing has changed. The activist group He Taua confronts the students and it goes wrong. The nation is in an uproar. It’s the moment which introduces New Zealand to the concept of systemic racism and becomes part of the wider movement which will change Aotearoa forever. It's a moment that was almost lost but is captured forever thanks to film-maker and playwright Katie Wolfe.
This Graduation Production is the final major work by graduating students across Acting, Arts Management, Costume, Design and Set & Props. Directed by Jason Te Kare.
The Haka Party Incident was commissioned by Auckland Theatre Company.
Presented by arrangement with Playmarket.
Content warning: Depicts racist attitudes once common in New Zealand, still alive today under different names.
