Community
Ten kapa haka groups performed from across the South Island on Thursday in Invercargill.
The festival celebrates the creativity of performers with intellectual disability through traditional cultural expression
This was the first time the regional event is being held in Invercargill’s Ascot Park Hotel
Kapa haka performers supported by IDEA Services will take the stage in Invercargill on Thursday 30 October, as the city hosts the IDEA Services Regional Kapa Haka Festival for the first time.
The held at the Ascot Park Hotel and ran from 9am to 4pm. It featured 10 kapa haka groups travelling from across the South Island – including Blenheim, Christchurch, the West Coast, Otago, and Southland – to showcase months of preparation.
IDEA Services' Southern Regional Manager Nancy Stewart said kapa haka had become a powerful way for people with intellectual disability to connect and express themselves.
“It connects the people we support to the world around them and to each other,” she said. “It’s creative, it’s focussed and it’s exciting. We’re so looking forward to seeing what southern rōpū will bring to the stage.”
The annual festival brings together participants supported by IDEA Services, a part of IHC New Zealand, which works alongside people with intellectual disabilities throughout the country.
Performers have spent weeks rehearsing for their time on stage, and the event provides an inclusive platform for celebrating Māori performing arts.
“My rōpū is my family,” said Diane Pelvin, a performer from the Te Huarahi Hou o Te Ratonga Whakaaro i Otautahi group. “I love to perform”.
The public is invited to attend the event and enjoy a full day of kapa haka performances, highlighting the importance of inclusion, creativity, and community connection through cultural celebration.