Leonie Hayden 
Mainstream news has a history of not always being the safest or most representative space for Black and indigenous people and other people of colour (BIPOC). Many have created their own spaces to address the imbalance, but some Māori media professionals say it’s time for everyone to get on the bi-cultural waka. Among the things … Read more
People have been writing about what diversity can add to an organisation for literal decades, and yet we find ourselves with two major political party leaders that either can’t or won’t accept some very easy-to-grasp concepts. Gerry and Judith, this is for you. New National Party leader Judith Collins announced on Wednesday that she would … Read more
Allegations of defamation led to an apology by Mike Hosking to John Tamihere. This morning Michael Noel James Hosking IV delivered an apology to Māori Party co-leader John Tamihere over defamatory comments made by Hosking in 2018. The comments relate to a $600,000 private shareholder payment from Whānau Ora contractor, Te Pou Matakana, to its … Read more
As the settler government did in the late 1800s, it’s high time we erected a bunch of new monuments to the great people of this country (and maybe take some of the stink ones down). Ātea editor Leonie Hayden has some suggestions. Hundreds of heroic and revered ancestors proudly adorn walls, lintels, waharoa and pou … Read more
A new survey by Stickybeak for The Spinoff shows more than one in four would like to see Hamilton’s name revert to Kirikiriroa. But a Waikato kaumatua says he’ll continue to push for change. As statues come down around the world and long-venerated slave traders and colonialists have their actions put under the microscope for … Read more
As the Minister for Māori development faces the music for a poorly-received Māori media sector review, new and contradictory details are emerging. A government review of the Māori media sector released last week that recommended Māori news be centralised into a single service at Māori Television was received poorly by many in the sector. It … Read more
Leonie Hayden talks to three young leaders of New Zealand’s Black Lives Matter movement about colonialism and justice – and why anti-Black racism isn’t just ‘an American problem’. I start all interviews by asking “Nō hea koe, where are you from?” In a Māori context it’s a whakapapa question that places people on a familial … Read more
There aren’t many women composing for taonga puoro. In fact, there aren’t many people like Te Kahureremoa Taumata and Khali Phillips-Barbara at all. Earlier in the year I was lucky enough to attend the Te Hā annual Māori writers’ hui, where I met (among many inspirational kaituhi Māori) a poet and musician named Ladyfruit. Mere … Read more
For the second time since New Zealand went into lockdown, the public toilet block and carpark at Ōwairaka has been defaced with racist images. The dispute over the native restoration programme for the maunga of Ōwairaka took a nasty new turn last week when the words “Majurey lies” were spray painted in orange across the … Read more
Rebuilding support for her seatless party in the midst of a global pandemic is an unenviable task, but new Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is taking it in her stride. On April 15 the Māori Party announced its new co-leaders, one tāne, one wahine, as per the party’s charter. In the top spots, the sometimes … Read more
Ātea editor Leonie Hayden is one of the lucky ones, she says, so why does it feel like there’s a weight inside her chest? Yesterday was my first happy day in lockdown. I made fresh pasta. I folded washing and watched Moana. Am I the only one who hasn’t caught up on their washing? Two … Read more
An Auckland bus driver tells Leonie Hayden what it’s like to operate under alert level four, and the struggle to secure a safer work environment. Mike moved to New Zealand in 2001. “I’m a Kiwi now,” he says, “and a die-hard unionist.” He’s employed by a large New Zealand bus company and as union delegate … Read more
Our Covid-19 gifs are now available in te reo Māori. Spread the word (while staying at home). The suite of excellent illustrations and gifs created by microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles and illustrator Toby Morris have had an undeniable impact during the Covid-19 crisis. They offer clear communication of sometimes complex concepts, and their popularity has seen … Read more
There’s been a lot of talk about PPE of late – do we have enough, is it getting to the right people, and who exactly are the right people, anyway? Here’s the latest official advice. The Ministry of Health has now circulated updated advice on the appropriate use of PPE (personal protective equipment) for both … Read more
They’re not getting paid extra, they miss their families and they’re tired of people losing it over yoghurt. Leonie Hayden talks to a supermarket checkout manager about the craziest time of her career. Rosie* is the checkout manager for one of the large supermarket chains in a medium-sized New Zealand city. She calls her team … Read more
Māori authorities have acted swiftly on behalf of their people, but some say they’re concerned about the lack of communication from government. Māori have not fared well in pandemics of times past. Health statistics remain grim compared with other demographics, and there are fears that should the Covid-19 coronavirus spread via community transmission, it’s Māori … Read more
You don’t have to be a business with employees to apply for the government’s wage subsidy. That’s good news for more than 380,000 of us. Updated: an expansion to the Wage Subsidy Scheme was announced on March 23 along with the announcement that New Zealand would go into lock down for four weeks. The details … Read more
Today marks the sixth consecutive day of no new confirmed cases of Covid-19, but as the severity grows overseas, numerous large-scale public events hang in the balance. Here’s what we know. UPDATE, 14/3: The Christchurch Remembrance Service has been cancelled. UPDATE 15/3: The new self-isolation rules announced yesterday mean that it is likely all events … Read more
It’s a hard habit to shake – but we have to try. The Covid-19 virus is spread mainly through droplets being coughed and sneezed onto people and surfaces which are transferred to others by touch. One of the precautions recommended by experts to help prevent the spread of the virus is to avoid shaking hands. … Read more
Controversial Australian philosopher Peter Singer is coming to New Zealand in June. While he believes in reducing suffering for all humans and animals, his views on disability have sparked widespread alarm and condemnation. Update: ThinkInc, promoters of the live event ‘An Evening with Peter Singer’, have announced that Auckland venue Skycity has cancelled their contract, … Read more
This week I watched a man shoot himself in the foot so many times I was amazed he could walk out of the courtroom. Here’s my honestly held opinion. Leonie Hayden was at Wellington High Court thanks to the support of Spinoff Members. To support independent, homegrown journalism, join today. The high-profile case of Robert … Read more
The high-profile case at the Wellington High Court has come to an early halt after lawyers for Bob Jones, who was suing writer and director Renae Maihi, announced they will no longer continue. Sir Bob Jones was suing Renae Maihi for defamation after she presented a petition to parliament in 2018 to strip Jones of … Read more
In 2018, Robert Jones wrote a piece he argued was ‘satire’, in which called for an annual ‘Māori Gratitude Day’. Filmmaker and activist Renae Maihi responded with a petition to have him stripped of his knighthood. Jones is suing her for defamation. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was Sir Bob Jones being sued for … Read more
Waitangi Day brings together all groups of people, of which politicians are just one, writes Leonie Hayden. I travelled up to Waitangi with a Ngāti Kahungunu friend, her first time there on Waitangi Day, and my fourth. Arriving at Te Tii marae on Wednesday morning, having missed the leaders’ welcome the day before, we took … Read more
On this day two years ago, Jacinda Ardern delivered a powerful, acclaimed speech at Waitangi. She implored her audience then, as she has again in recent days, to hold her to account on delivering for Te Ao Māori. We’ve taken that speech and held it up against the Labour-led government’s achievements to date. In February … Read more
On day 1,173 of the occupation at Ihumātao, it was announced that a resolution is imminent, and expected before Waitangi Day. Leonie Hayden reports from Māngere. This morning Kiingi Tuheitia travelled to Ihumātao and lowered the flag of the Kiingitanga. Six years after ancestral land at Ihumātao in Manukau was earmarked for a future housing … Read more
A group of Māori leaders have made an urgent Waitangi Tribunal claim on behalf of the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, and issued a biting rebuke to Jacinda Ardern and Peeni Henare. What’s this ‘no confidence’ about, then? Some of Aotearoa’s most powerful wāhine have had enough. A statement from the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (WOCA) … Read more
Summer reissue: A lot of knowledge has been lost about traditional Māori attitudes to menstruation, but some extraordinary Māori women are making sure it’s not lost forever, writes Leonie Hayden First published 17 April 2019 Like a bolt of lightning out of the blue it sometimes occurs to me that a thing I’m doing, or … Read more
At the end of the decade, Ātea editor Leonie Hayden tries to eke some positivity out of a garbage year. The 2010s weren’t as volatile for Māori as say the 70s and 80s, but neither were Māori unprovoked during this decade. There’s been so much to be hurt by – Treaty breaches surround us and … Read more