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In the performing arts category of the "New Zealand Framework for Cultural Statistics", Māori performing arts include traditional and contemporary adaptations of waiata, poi, haka and other activities performed by cultural groups or individuals. Māori performing arts may be performed in both formal and informal settings, on marae, at schools, or in other settings such as kapa haka festivals. Performances for the public may be ticketed or free.
The CES asked respondents about their attendance in person at kapa haka, performances encompassing Māori song, poi and haka. Other ways in which respondents may have experienced kapa haka, such as by watching television or listening to Māori songs on the radio, are covered in Broadcasting and the Internet.
The survey also asked respondents how often they had attended kapa haka in the 12 months leading up to the survey and what had prevented them from doing so more often, or at all.
Attendance at kapa haka
An estimated 432,000 people, or 16 percent of the population aged 15 and over, attended kapa haka in the 12 months before the survey.
A higher proportion of women (18 percent) than men (13 percent) attended and, overall, attendance declined with age, as figure 6.33 shows. Twenty-five percent of adults aged 15–24 attended kapa haka, compared with 5 percent of people aged 65 and over.
Not surprisingly, Māori were considerably more likely than people of any other ethnicity to attend kapa haka. As figure 6.34 shows, 45 percent of Māori had done so in the preceding 12 months, compared with 12 percent of European/Pākehā and 17 percent of Pacific peoples.
Proportions of people attending kapa haka did not vary greatly by level of qualification. Fourteen percent of those with no qualifications attended, as did 16 percent of those with qualifications.
As figure 6.35 shows, a higher proportion of unemployed people (29 percent) attended kapa haka than those who were employed (16 percent) or not in the labour force (14 percent).
Similar proportions in each income group attended kapa haka, with percentages ranging from 14 to 17. Whether people lived in urban or rural areas had no influence on proportions of people attending performances.
As figure 6.36 shows, proportions of the population in each region who had attended performances in the 12-month period varied. Attendance was higher for people living in North Island regions, especially those with high Māori populations. These ranged from 15 percent in the Auckland region, Taranaki and Manawatu/Wanganui, to 25 percent of those living in Northland and Bay of Plenty (both regions with high Māori populations). By comparison, attendance at kapa haka was considerably lower in the South Island, ranging from 7 to 10 percent.
Figure 6.36
Proportion of adults attending kapa haka, in previous 12 months, by region
The kapa haka audience
Another way in which the data can be analysed is to treat those who attended kapa haka as a group and look at their demographic and socio-economic characteristics. As table 6.04 shows, the audience for kapa haka was predominantly women – 59 percent, compared with 41 percent of men. Twenty-eight percent of the audience were aged between 15 and 24 and a further 26 percent were between 35 and 44. Overall, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) were aged between 15 and 44. More than half the audience was European/Pākehā (58 percent) and 29 percent were Māori. Half the audience held tertiary qualifications, 65 percent were employed and 47 percent earned less than $15,000 a year. The majority (71 percent) lived in the main urban centres, with 29 percent living in the Auckland region, 15 percent in the Wellington region and 12 percent in Waikato.
Table 6.04
Characteristics of adults attending kapa haka in previous 12 months
In the main, the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the audience for kapa haka resembled the population as a whole. However, Māori, women, and both the 15–24 year and the 35-44 year groups were more strongly represented in the kapa haka audience than in the overall population. People aged 55 and over were under represented.
Number of performances attended
Slightly more than half (52 percent) of those who attended kapa haka attended one performance, just over a third (37 percent) attended two to four performances and the rest attended five or more performances in the 12 months before the survey.
The proportion of people who attended two or more performances did not vary greatly by demographic or socio-economic characteristics, except for ethnicity, with an estimated 78 percent of Māori and 56 percent of Pacific peoples who attended kapa haka, attending two or more performances. As the numbers who attended five or more performances were generally small, it was not possible to draw firm conclusions about the characteristics of this group. Indications are, however, that Māori are more likely to attend kapa haka than people from any other ethnic group. One-quarter of Māori attended five or more performances, compared with 6 percent of European/Pākehā.
Nearly two-thirds of those who attended two or more kapa haka were women. Nearly one-third were aged between 15 and 24 and half were under 35. Not unexpectedly, Māori were over represented in this group (40 percent), compared with their proportion of the adult population (10 percent), and European/Pākehā were under represented (47 percent compared with 77 percent), although they still made up nearly half of those who attended two or more kapa haka.
Half those who attended two or more kapa haka earned less than $15,000 a year.
Barriers to attending kapa haka
Of the estimated 432,000 people who attended kapa haka, one-quarter indicated they would have liked to attend performances more often than they did. A greater proportion of Māori (39 percent) than European/Pākehā (18 percent) indicated they would have liked to attend more often.
As figure 6.37 shows, the two principal reasons for not attending kapa haka more often were lack of time (41 percent) and performances not being available locally (28 percent). Other reasons given by small numbers of people included lack of information about events, transport problems, caregiver responsibilities and the cost of tickets.
Figure 6.37
Barriers to attending kapa haka, proportion of adults unable to attend more often
Of the estimated 2.3 million people who had not attended kapa haka in the 12 months before the survey, an estimated 234,000 people, or 10 percent, indicated they would have liked to attend, but had been unable to do so. As figure 6.38 shows, for one-third of this group, lack of time was a barrier. Kapa haka not being available locally and lack of information about events were also seen as barriers (29 percent each).
Figure 6.38
Barriers to attending kapa haka, proportion of adults unable to attend at all
Smaller proportions of people indicated there were a range of other barriers to attendance, such as cost of tickets (14 percent), transport problems (12 percent), caregiver responsibilities (9 percent), other associated costs (6 percent), illness or disability and not having someone to go with (5 percent each).
Because the numbers of people identifying each barrier to attending kapa haka were generally small, it was not possible to do further analysis based on demographic and socio-economic characteristics.
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