This articles looks at some of the different types of karanga
There is an unlimited number of karanga, however, 36 is the minimum that you should know in order to be able to say that you can karanga.
If doing a karanga for a hui, you will be either be on the Tangata Whenua side or the Manuhiri side.
The Kai Karanga is the person who does the karanga for the Tangata Whenua and the Kai Whakaatu is the person who does the karanga for the Manuhiri.
There are usually 3 karanga done for the tangata whenua side and three from the manuhiri in reply, making a total of six.
However, the karanga for an ordinary hui are different from a tangihanga (another six), from taking a tupapaku onto the marae (another six), from going onto an urupa (another six), from going to an unveiling (another six), then there are the ones for kai, koha, being seated etc.
This makes a rough total of 36 Karanga, so in order to say you can karanga, you should know at least 36!
If someone asks you if you can karanga, you could also reply like this if you do not have the 36 under your belt:
I know 3 basic karanga for the Tangata Whenua for an ordinary hui and 1 basic karanga for Manuhiri for an ordinary hui.
This way you will not have the experience of being told to karanga a tupapaku onto a marae!
Tikanga Index