Question 1

What is NCEA AS 91987 about?

Accepted Answer

This external exam standard is for Year 13 students studying Te Ao Haka (Māori Performing Arts). You choose one key role you played in a Te Ao Haka performance — such as being a lead performer (kaitātaki), playing an instrument, making costumes, composing, or mentoring others — and write about it in depth. You explain what the role involved, reflect on the important moments during preparation and performance, and connect it to the wider world of Te Ao Haka including its tikanga (customs and values). Because it is external, your response is assessed by NZQA, not just your teacher.

Question 2

What do students need to do for AS 91987?

Accepted Answer

1. Choose one key role you personally held in a Te Ao Haka performance (e.g. kaitātaki wahine/tāne, solo performer, mentor, instrument player, costume manager, tā-moko artist, taonga maker, or composer). 2. Describe what that role actually is and what it requires, and explain how the skills you developed in Te Ao Haka prepared you for it. 3. Reflect on the important moments — before, during rehearsal, and during the performance itself — where you had to take deliberate action, overcome challenges, or set yourself up for success. 4. Explain how doing the role well (or poorly) would have made a real difference to the overall performance. 5. For the highest grades, place the role in the broader context of Te Ao Haka and discuss its tikanga — the cultural values, protocols, and significance attached to it.

Question 3

What's the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for AS 91987?

Accepted Answer

Achieved: Describe the role and what it involves. Explain its function in a Te Ao Haka performance and connect it to the skills you gained through studying Te Ao Haka. Merit: Go deeper by examining key moments during your preparation and execution of the role. Explore how carrying out the role effectively (or not) would have impacted the performance — show you understand the consequences of your actions. Excellence: Do everything required for Merit, plus zoom out and discuss the role in the wider context of Te Ao Haka. This means discussing the tikanga linked to the role — the cultural meaning, traditions, and responsibilities that come with it.

Question 4

What mistakes do students typically make in AS 91987?

Accepted Answer

1. Note: No assessment report is publicly available yet for this standard (it was registered in September 2025). The common mistakes below are drawn directly from the standard's own explanatory notes, which hint at where students are likely to fall short. 2. Only describing the role without explaining its function or linking it to Te Ao Haka skills (staying at a surface level). 3. Listing moments that happened during preparation or performance without explaining why those moments mattered or what deliberate action was needed — examiners want you to show the significance, not just tell the story. 4. Missing the impact angle — not discussing how effective or ineffective execution of the role would have changed the performance for better or worse. 5. Choosing a role that was not truly 'key' — if your absence wouldn't have noticeably changed the performance, the role may not meet the standard's definition. 6. For Excellence, failing to connect the role to its tikanga and the wider world of Te Ao Haka — writing only about personal experience without the cultural and contextual layer.

Te Ao Haka role

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