Matariki is a time to gather with friends and family and reflect on the year that has been and plan for the year ahead. Here’s a quick explainer. Extra reporting by Leonie Hayden Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleaides star cluster. It rises during Pipiri (June/July) and marks the beginning of the Māori … Read more
Our landfills are approaching capacity and our country is lacking the necessary infrastructure to support reuse, recycle and composting programmes. Two Māori businesses are helping create waste solutions by championing product stewardship. Whether you are reading this from your computer at your desk, or your phone on-the-go, stop and look around your immediate space. What … Read more
With a career that has taken her from Whakatāne to Otago, to the hallowed halls of Harvard, to the front line of Standing Rock, lawyer Natalie Coates has fought for Māori and indigenous rights wherever she’s been needed. She has appeared in the Supreme Court for the Urewera ‘anti-terror’ raids case, and volunteered in ‘war-like’ … Read more
A celebration of the resurgence of the maramataka. Many indigenous cultures around the world have their own version of the maramataka which aligns with the phases of the moon, rather than the common Gregorian calendar. Māori and our Pasifika cousins are reviving and reconnecting with the maramataka to restore systems and knowledge of agricultural productivity, … Read more
She’s a producer, promoter, artist, musician, māmā and more. It might seem like a pick’n’mix career but Huia Hamon wouldn’t have it any other way. Today, a decade on from her first solo album, she dons her musician pōtae to release Āio, a te reo Māori EP about peace, knowledge and self-reflection. When Huia Hamon … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, we look at the meaning of Matariki. Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleaides star cluster. It rises during mid-winter and marks the beginning of the Māori new year. The word is an abbreviation of Ngā Mata … Read more
Jason Te Kare grew up watching his mum raise and love at-risk youths in their family home. The director of new prison-set play CELLFISH talks about learning how to live a compassionate life. When playwright Miriama McDowell worked with inmates in a Christchurch prison, she was often asked to sneak in contraband. Not your typical … Read more
The Spinoff talks to wāhine Māori about the history, present and future of moko kauae, as well as Inia Taylor, the tā moko artist behind the controversial moko kauae worn by life coach Sally Anderson. “Moko kauae is not for Pākehā!” That outcry by a group of wāhine Māori, prompted by a recent media investigation … Read more
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Ihumātao, South Auckland over the weekend to protest against Fletcher Building’s planned housing development, known as SHA62. Text and photos by Qiane Matata-Sipu. The ‘Take a Stand on the Land’ action saw kaumātua, kuia, families, students, activists and unions take to the lower slopes of the tupuna maunga, Te Puketaapapatanga … Read more