Secondary schools in Auckland and Waikato have joined Te Whare Tū Taua, a programme that delivers Māori martial arts under NCEA.
It’s part of a wider initiative which aims to endow students with cultural and leadership skills. The mau rākau component teaches resilience and ways to cope under pressure through weaponry training.
Student Tyson Hepana says mau rākau keeps him at the Papakura Services Academy which supports at-risk youth.
“This is something that I’ve been training to do for a couple of years, so yeah, it keeps your head high. You've got your friends there to back you up so at the end of the day you've got to push through.”