1h 28m
From visionary director Katie Wolfe comes an unflinching documentary of a forgotten history retold from every side.
Available to watch in Aotearoa / New Zealand.
Made with support from RNZ, NZ Film Commission, Tasman Ray Productions, Images & Sound
Series details.
About
From visionary director Katie Wolfe comes an unflinching documentary of a forgotten history retold from every side.
On 1 May, 1979, a group of young Māori and Pasifika activists, He Taua, confronted a gathering of University of Auckland engineering students as they rehearsed a 'mock' haka for their annual capping stunt.
The fracas that followed promoted the nation to confront systemic racism and begin to make change for a better and more equal partnership between Pākehā and Māori.
Feature documentary The Haka Party Incident continues the conversation started in 1979 and reinvigorated by Katie Wolfe in her verbatim stage play of the same name that toured nationally in 2023 to sold-out performances. She commented:
"I first read about the incident in Ranginui Walker's book Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou, the only New Zealand history book to mention what had remained a relatively hidden story in mainstream history. This confrontation was the perfect story to extend the focus of much of my work, the intersection between Māori and Pākehā. Haka is not only at the centre of this historic incident but forms the film's structure."
The film uses archival and contemporary interviews with people who were directly involved, including Ben Dalton, Hone Harawira, Hilda Halkyard-Harawira, Brent Meekan, David Merritt, and Ian Gibson, along with guests including Dr. Ranginui Walker and the late Mitzi Naim. They reflect on the significance and impact this had on shaping the contemporary relationship in Aotearoa between Māori and Pākehā.
Credits
Katie Wolfe (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Toa Rangatira)
Writer, Director, & Producer
Tim Balme
Producer
Awards
Sydney Film Festival 2025
Official Selection
LA Independent Woman Film Awards
Human Rights Award
Māoriland Film Festival 2025
Official Selection
imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival 2025
Official Selection
Birrarangga Film Festival 2025
Official Selection
Pápa International Historical Film Festival 2025
Official Selection
New York International Women Festival 2025
Documentary Feature
Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival 2024
Official Selection
Funded by
RNZ
Funded by
Tasman Ray Productions
Funded by
Images & Sound
Funded by
NZ Film Commission
Get in touch
Email us at: commissioning@rnz.co.nz
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