HĀ

the breath of life

Hā is the sacred breath of life that Tāne gifted Hineahuone — the first human form.

HĀ - History of Aotearoa, was formed in honour of the pūrākau (oral histories) that have documented and guided human interactions since the beginning of time.

In the same way that Tāne gave Hineahuone life, HĀ believes that our local histories will invigorate and unify our communities to create a prosperous shared future.

Purpose

HĀ is a kaupapa Māori organisation committed to creating safe learning environments for our communities to embrace the histories of Aotearoa and imagine our shared future.

HĀ is premised on the protection and oranga of ngā taonga katoa as affirmed in He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. HĀ is particularly focused on protecting and maintaining mātauranga tuku iho, our history, mokopuna and te taiao (the environment). To achieve this, HĀ has intentionally elevated Māori pedagogies and use creative mediums to share our histories. Various art forms are used throughout HĀ workshops to aid in knowledge comprehension, to navigate complex history and emotions, and to incite creativity when imagining our future. These art forms allow us to keep the mātauranga of our tupuna alive as we navigate the space between now and the future.

Based in Whangarei, Te Tai Tokerau, HĀ ensures that all participants experience localised content that grounds our community in their own identity. As such, all of our content has been gifted by kaumatua, and local academics and is accompanied by comprehensive research. As we engage with our community, each group brings its own knowledge and layers of history that ensure HĀ’s content evolves and grows.

Vision

HĀ is a proud celebration of our community.

All aspects of this kaupapa have been shaped by our kaumatua, local and national artists, tohunga, schools, educators, tamariki, generous friends, and of course, our whānau.

HĀ is simply a manifestation of our communities desire to partake in the culturally rich history and whakapapa of this whenua.

Our hope is that HĀ can provide a framework to enable Te Tai Tokerau and communities throughout Aotearoa to deepen their understanding of this whenua so we can create a prosperous future.