Hariata Moriarty

Through her kaupapa Hurō, Hariata seeks to create an energising and impactful stage play that encourages Māori rangatahi to take agency of their lives.

Hariata's moemoeā…

Hurō is a two-person energising and impactful stage play that encourages Māori rangatahi to take agency of their lives. The kōrero within the play is realised through actual research processes, our own lived experiences, and secondary accounts of other people's lived experiences gained through wānanga and kōrero. We hope this play may empower Indigenous audiences and also speak to universal truths.

We have begun the research process by engaging with three colleges and asking the rangatahi patai about their understanding of the socio-political climate of Aotearoa, their position as Māori, the dreams of their tūpuna, what kind of world they would like to leave behind for their mokopuna and whether there are barriers facing this/barriers to achieving their potential. Extremely loaded patai! We provided kai, karakia, and koha to the rangatahi that took part. We have now reached the point where the kōrero that was collected is utilised to draft a script that is based on their true lived experience. The goal is to stand up a play that can be taken to theatre venues in NZ, as well as high school and wharekura so an option of the play in complete te reo Māori is also needed. After each performance, the audience is invited to take part in a wānanga style kōrero.

The award would enable this process to continue. The arts are a vehicle for social change and rangatahi are our future. If they can be inspired through the whakaari to take charge of their lives then it will have completely served its purpose. We want rangatahi to leave feeling like they believe in themselves, and ko te ao kei o rātou ringa. In addition, the wānanga space created after the viewing of the whakaari allows for deep connection and creates and strengthens community.

What were the major outcomes of this kaupapa? 

Since receiving the funding, we successfully developed and staged our theatre production Waenga, produced by Hurō Productions. The show premiered as part of the Kia Mau Festival and held a separate showing with secondary schools, engaging directly with rangatahi Māori. Key milestones included the completion of the script which was founded from a research process with rangatahi Māori, original waiata composition, full rehearsals, development of a tikanga-based rehearsal process, and delivery of live performances in both professional and educational settings. We also recorded and mixed waiata in both te reo Māori and English, laying the groundwork for future distribution. Crucially, Waenga placed rangatahi Māori at the centre, offering them a mirror through which to see their stories, language, and values reflected with pride and nuance. The post-show wānanga also enabled rangatahi to critically think about their position as Māori within society.

Outcomes included:

• Increased engagement with reo Māori and mātauranga Māori through the show's narrative and waiata.
• Empowerment of young Māori through visibility of their stories onstage.
• Meaningful post-show conversations in schools around identity, belonging, and healing.
• Professional development for Māori creatives in music, performance, and design.
• We set out to create a powerful experience for young Māori—and that's exactly what we achieved.

How did you measure your impact through this kaupapa? 

After each performance, we held post-show wānanga with students and kaiako, creating a safe space for kōrero and reflection. These wānanga offered valuable insight into how the themes of whakapapa, wairua, identity, and te reo Māori resonated. Many students openly questioned and explored their unique position as rangatahi Māori in today's world — reflecting a deeper engagement with their cultural identity and sense of belonging. For us, these conversations were a powerful marker of impact. We also circulated an online survey to gather structured feedback from both students and educators, capturing reflections on the show's relevance, emotional resonance, and educational value. This helped us understand how the kaupapa landed across different kura and learning environments.

In addition, we conducted short video interviews with rangatahi and kaiako after the performances. These captured raw, in-the-moment responses and now serve as a taonga that demonstrates the emotional and cultural reach of Waenga. Together, these tools allowed us to assess both the measurable and immeasurable — from increased language pride and cultural confidence to the way Waenga sparked self-reflection and empowered rangatahi to see themselves as active inheritors and carriers of mātauranga Māori.

How did this kaupapa benefit from the Pou Herenga Tangata Award? 

The funding was instrumental in realising Waenga as a high-quality, kaupapa Māori theatre production that directly engaged rangatahi Māori.

It allowed us to:

• Engage in a wānanga process with rangatahi, and develop an original script that resonated with youth audiences.
• Pay artists and collaborators fairly.
• Create a safe, tikanga-based rehearsal process that honoured the kaupapa and the emotional weight of the work.
• Invest in sound, staging, and production elements that elevated the experience for both public and school audiences.
• Most importantly, the funding enabled us to uplift the voices, stories, and cultural identity of rangatahi Māori, creating space for them to feel seen, heard, and empowered.

We invited secondary schools along to watch the show where optional koha was also offered and not a set fee eliminating cost barriers and bringing transformative storytelling directly to young Māori. It was always our intention that the secondary school performances would be free of charge to reflect the kaupapa of this fund and to make the arts accessible

What are your future plans for this kaupapa?

We are currently in negotiations with Taki Rua to take the show on a nationwide kura tour in March 2026, allowing even more rangatahi Māori across the motu to experience the power of their stories on stage.

In addition, we're collaborating with Te Rākau to run a unique version of Waenga in Porirua, where local rangatahi will take on the acting roles. We will step into director and mentor roles, guiding the next generation of Māori storytellers to embody the kaupapa themselves. This is a huge part of our vision, not just telling stories about rangatahi, but empowering them to be the storytellers.

Our dream is to see Waenga continue evolving as a living, breathing kaupapa that grows with and for our people and uplifts te reo, tikanga, and mātauranga Māori through music, theatre, and community. We envision expanding the waiata into standalone releases, developing education resources, and continuing to use performance as a vehicle for connection, healing, and cultural pride. This kaupapa is about identity, whakapapa, and reclaiming our stories. We're excited to progress it further.