About Hāpai Productions

Hāpai Productions’ vision is to produce mana-enhancing Māori theatre productions whilst upholding Māori values.

E hāpai nei i te kaupapa Māori, i te mana Māori, i te whāia anō o te mātauranga Māori, mā roto mai i te auahatanga o te whakaari Māori – upholding Māori philosophical practices, prestige and the pursuit of Māori knowledge through the creation of Māori theatre.

Nancy Brunning (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāi Tūhoe) and Tanea Heke (Ngāpuhi nui tonu, Ngāti Rangi, Te Uri Taniwha, Ngāti Hineira) worked together for years (way back in the late `90s). They decided to combine forces in 2013 and created Hāpai Productions.

Hāpai Productions provides a culturally supportive environment for Māori theatre practitioners to feel understood and supported. We have more than 25 years of industry experience, have an undeniable commitment and passion for theatre, and have experienced the positive effect theatre can have on Māori artists and their audiences. Our philosophy on Māori theatre develops further from the guidance and vision of Māori theatre pioneers such as Keri Kaa, Wi Kuki Kaa, Don Selwyn, Tungia Baker and Rowley Habib. They challenged the New Zealand theatre status quo in the `60s and `70s by championing for Māori-led theatre productions to be included on mainstream stages.

The wāhine Māori voice is important to establishing a balanced perspective of the Māori world view. The key focus for Hāpai is creating more opportunities for wāhine representation on stage and behind the scenes.

Hāpai offers opportunities for all Māori practitioners to learn new skills in all areas of theatre performance and production.