The Spinoff produced four web series in 2019. Here is the cream of the crop. Scratched: Ruia Morrison’s unlikely tennis journey from Rotorua to Wimbledon Meet Ruia Morrison, the first New Zealand woman and first Māori tennis player to compete at Wimbledon. Raised on the courts of Te Koutu in the 1940s, Morrison quickly dominated … Read more
Families come in all different shapes and sizes. But when the British came to New Zealand they decided Māori families were the wrong shape. In this episode of Kaupapa on the Couch, we have a look at what family means in different cultures and the effects of colonisation on whānau and whakapapa. Written and presented … Read more
Dance down memory lane with us to a time when the Māori showbands ruled supreme. After World War II, Māori concert parties became a huge attraction in Aotearoa, like the kapa haka groups we know and love today. Action songs and haka were still a novelty for Pākehā New Zealanders that hadn’t been to Rotorua … Read more
Film is a powerful influence in our lives that shapes how we see the world, and how we see ourselves. So it’s pretty important that we see people that look like us up on the big screen. New Zealand has an incredible film history – dark, funny, innovative, evocative of our past and peculiar worldview. … Read more
Nau mai, haere mai ki Kaupapa On The Couch, a webseries from The Spinoff about Māori issues and stuff, hosted by Leonie Hayden. In Māori culture, the head is tapu so therefore hair holds a lot of mana. Our ancestors conveyed meaning and status with their hair, and dressed it with a beautiful array of oils … Read more
Nau mai, haere mai ki Kaupapa On The Couch, a webseries from The Spinoff about Māori issues and stuff, hosted by Leonie Hayden. Kaupapa On The Couch is back for season 2, and we’re kicking off with HĀKARI: everything you need to know to party like your ancestors, from hāngi techniques to understanding tikanga Māori … Read more
How Māori women can find our way back to equity through the stories of the past. In 1993 a group of Māori women filed a claim to the Waitangi Tribunal, now known as the Mana Wahine Claim. The claimants included a list of dream dinner party guests – all of the Māori Women’s Welfare League, Lady … Read more
How the Hec Busby did we get here? Leonie Hayden looks at ocean voyaging and the badass ancestors that brought us across Moana-nui-a-Kiwa to Aotearoa. What do we mean when we give our pepha and talk about “our” waka? I’ve seen a waka, you can’t sail overseas in that! Check out the awesome Waka Odyssey, … Read more
Leonie Hayden presents Kaupapa On The Couch, a six-part webseries looking at interesting issues and events in te ao Māori. In this episode Leonie explains what happened at Parihaka on the 5th of November 1881 when a pacifist settlement in Taranaki was invaded by 1600 volunteer and Armed Constabulary troops. But most importantly, she explains … Read more
Leonie Hayden presents Kaupapa On The Couch, a six-part webseries looking at interesting issues and events in te ao Māori. What do we mean when we refer to our mountains and rivers as ancestors? Episode three looks at the world-leading legislation in Aotearoa that recognises Te Urewera National Park and the Whanganui River as people. … Read more
Leonie Hayden presents Kaupapa On The Couch, a six-part webseries looking at issues in te ao Māori that aren’t as well known as they should be. Episode two of Kaupapa On The Couch looks at the founding document you might not have heard of: He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – New Zealand’s … Read more
Leonie Hayden presents Kaupapa On The Couch, a six-part webseries looking at issues in te ao Māori that aren’t as well known or understood as they should be. This month: the Māori seats. What are they for and who cares about them anyway? Made with the support of NZ On Air.