‘Culture is our medicine’: Hupahupa With Tautape weaves reconnection, pride and healing through Cook Islands dance

At the Pacifica Arts Centre in West Auckland, the air pulses with the beat of Cook Islands drums. Laughter ripples through the space. Children twist and sway to the rhythm of their ancestors. But behind the choreography is something far deeper: a cultural awakening that’s lifting the wellbeing of entire families.

Hupahupa With Tautape (HWT) is more than a dance programme. It’s a reclaiming. A reconnection. A quiet revolution.

Led by passionate Cook Islands tutor, mentor and founder Rahui Tautape Samson, HWT brings together tamariki aged 5 to 15 to learn Cook Islands dance, language, drumming and storytelling - - but with one condition: their parents must stay for the session too.

That one requirement has transformed the experience from a children’s class into a full-blown family revival.

In many Cook Islands diaspora families in Aotearoa, there’s a deep yearning to reconnect to cultural roots - a desire that often sits quietly, waiting for the right moment to rise. For some parents, the idea of sharing culture can feel daunting, especially when they weren’t given the circumstances or chance to fully learn it themselves.

“Parents often drop their kids off to learn what they feel they’ve missed,” says Jarcinda Stowers-Ama, director of Pacifica Arts Centre. “But when you invite them to stay, to sit and learn too - something special happens. You see eyes light up with recognition, laughter when they remember songs from their childhood. You see pride returning. You see healing.”

HWT gently removes the pressure to perform, replacing it with a warm invitation: come as you are. Learn together. Reconnect through movement, talanoa, and shared experience.

Dads gather around the pate - traditional Cook Islands drums - learning ancient rhythms once reserved for expert drummers. Mums sit in circles threading flowers and weaving traditional costumes, many for the first time. Children dance, sing, and speak their ancestral language. And in the process, whole families transform.

For the Samson family, this work is personal.

“It’s not just about dance. It’s about identity,” says Rahui.

“When our kids know who they are, where they come from, they walk taller. And when our parents feel connected again, that strength multiplies. This is Cook Islands wellbeing.”

Rahui reflects with pride on last year’s showcase:

“As the founder of HWT, I’m in absolute awe of my students and what they’ve portrayed and learnt. They never cease to amaze me in the way they grasp our culture and language in class. It’s a reminder that we’re not just preserving our culture - we’re growing confidence and letting it bloom.”

“It’s about giving them back to themselves. When a child looks over and sees their dad drumming, their mum making a costume - they see their family standing tall in their culture. That’s what HWT gives us. And that sense of pride? It’s infectious.”

The Pacifica Arts Centre is a long-time home for Pacific creatives since the 1980s and serves as the beating heart for this work. Surrounded by art, language, and the presence of elders, HWT doesn’t just teach Cook Islands culture. It lives it.

As the drums echo once again through the hall of Pacifica Arts Centre in 2025, one thing is certain: the beat of reconnection is strong, and it’s only getting louder.

Cook Islands to the world… and most importantly, back to our families.

The 2025 intake of HWT is part of the Olaga Lei initiative, which supports 12 Pasefika-by-Pasefika organisations across Auckland to uplift Pacific wellbeing through culturally grounded work. HWT is proudly backed by the Le Moana West Collective, a powerful network committed to enabling systemic change for Pacific communities in West Auckland.