A personal essay by Kaipara novelist Kelly Ana Morey. ‘I can’t be the ‘Māori’ writer people want me to be,’ she writes, ‘all I can be is myself.’ Two weeks ago I buried my father. He had a good innings and largely got to die in the privacy and comfort of his own home due to … Read more
The Storm in the Port: The story of Auckland’s waterfront is one of environmental degradation and indifference to the interests of iwi, writes Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei deputy chair Ngarimu Blair. Now that the port may be for sale, it’s time to redress the balance in favour of the kaitiaki of Tāmaki Makaurau. Read other contributions … Read more
Nichole Brown writes to her precious tamāhine about their taonga tuku iho and the journey she has made back to her tūpuna. To my sweet little girl, I am so sorry for white-washing your world. I am so sorry for not giving you a name that reflects who we are. I love your name – it … Read more
As part of Equalise My Vocals, a new Spinoff project focusing on equality in the music community, Coco Solid speaks with musician and multi-disciplinary punk Sarsha-Leigh Douglas. Sarsha-Leigh Douglas (Ngāti Maru, Te Arawa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kahungunu) is a local punk icon with an array of bands, underground projects and achievements under her heavy belt. … Read more
The foreshore and seabed debate is back for the umpteenth time with a claim for customary rights lodged in the High Court. And right on cue Māori are cast as seeking to destroy the Kiwi dream holiday. How about starting with some less stupid questions, suggests Morgan Godfery. And here we are, the foreshore and seabed debate, … Read more
The usual defence of stories about Pākehā enraged by Māori ‘uppitiness’ is that the media are simply reporting people’s views. And that’s bollocks, says Aaron Smale. If you drive down the new expressway on the Kapiti Coast towards Wellington, when you get near Waikanae there is a slight bend. On the left a large concrete wall … Read more
I only started studying te reo at Te Ataarangi this year, but I knew straight away that there was something different about it – and not just the fact that we use cuisenaire rods instead of pen and paper, writes Nadine Millar. Shame is one of the biggest barriers many of us face in learning … Read more
The debate around concessions negotiated by the Māori Party in the resource management bill has seen the ‘Māori tribal elite’ slur rears its head again. It is all part of a long history, writes Carrie Stoddart-Smith, of attempts to colonise tangata whenua. Kōtahi te kākaho ka whati, ina kapuia, e kore e whati. A lone reed will … Read more
I have asked myself why I didn’t do something about the shocking treatment of institutionalised children, writes Kim Workman. If the government fails to respond to our calls now, this issue will become a matter of national shame I am urging fellow New Zealanders to support Dame Susan Devoy’s call for a full inquiry into … Read more
The National leader’s mana-enhancing approach was as impressive as the Labour leader’s ‘not kaupapa’ outburst was depressing, says Carrie Stoddart-Smith. Bewitched by a glass (or two) of smooth red merlot, intoxicated by the ambience of festoon lights nestled among the grapevines in the Hawkes Bay, I sputtered out to the universe (via Twitter) that I … Read more
The arguments for compulsory Māori language classes in schools are compelling, yet some insist it means the sky is falling, writes Don Rowe. Less than eight months out from the first post-Teflon-John election, the Green Party has placed te reo Māori at the centre of their campaign, calling for compulsory inclusion in schools. The plan, which would … Read more
Radio host and political commentator Duncan Garner calls protestors at the Waitangi Marae “self-appointed meatheads” who “hijack the holiday for feeble grandstanding and cheap shots”. It’s just the latest attempt by Pākehā to ridicule and invalidate the Māori tradition of protest, says Madeleine de Young. Prime Minister Bill English’s decision not to attend the Waitangi … Read more
When a brown-skinned man darkens his face and jokes about being black, that’s colourism – the belief that people with dark skin are inherently inferior to those with lighter skin – in action, writes Miriama Aoake. This is an edited version of a post which first appeared on Medium.com. Last week Jimi Jackson (Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi), … Read more
As his friends and supporters continue to remind us, Sir Peter Leitch holds a special place in Māori and Pasifika communities through his support for rugby league. That’s all the more reason for him to step up and admit that his casual racism is a serious problem, says Annabelle Lee. Before it was a maze … Read more
Community worker Ngaiterangi Smallman argues that the Moana movie is an opportunity Pacific communities should be grasping with both hands. First published on September 28, 2016. Two years ago I visited a Kohanga Reo (Māori-language preschool) in Tāmaki (Auckland) and enjoyed time with the mokopuna and teachers. The whanau had decorated the walls with cut … Read more
In The Great War for New Zealand, historian Vincent O’Malley tells the story of the Waikato War of the 1860s – how it set back Māori-Pākehā relations by generations and changed the course of New Zealand history for good. Here, in an original essay for The Spinoff, he explains how the war helped create modern … Read more
We all agree about Māoritanga’s vital place at the heart of New Zealand culture, so why, asks Luke Tipoki, are we so relaxed about letting incorrect Māori pronunciation slide? Kai Kora, Kai Kura, even Kia Kora (as I heard one person say on the six o’clock news the other night). Following the devastating earthquakes last week we’ve … Read more
Key regulations aimed at preserving children’s connections to whakapapa and their culture are set to be dropped as part of a major shake up of New Zealand’s child welfare system. Kim McBreen explains why that’s terrible news for our most vulnerable Māori children. You may have heard the Crown have had a series of bad … Read more
What happened that morning in Parihaka on November 5, 1881? Te Whiti O Rongomai by Danny Keenan sets the scene for the armed invasion. The morning was cold for late spring, with moist air clinging to the sleeping villagers gathered together. Some were stirring, huddled under sodden blankets, listening for the sound of the troops. … Read more
Don Brash is the public face of Hobson’s Pledge, a new identity for his longstanding campaign against ‘special privileges’ for Māori. Deborah Mahuta-Coyle explains why for her, it feels personal. Kia ora Don, When I was 11 years old I took part in my school’s yearly speech competition. The topic was a famous Māori leader … Read more
A new ‘one nation’ New Zealand movement has sprung up, albeit from the usual suspects. Toby Manhire is captivated by the unique face of modern, anti-separatist New Zealand. Like sands through the hour glass, so are the anguished screams of “Māori special treatment fnarrrrrr!” The latest caterwaul comes in the form of Hobson’s Pledge. You … Read more
Community worker Ngaiterangi Smallman argues that the Moana movie is an opportunity Pacific communities should be grasping with both hands. This column was submitted as a letter to the editor (info@thespinoff.co.nz); we decided it deserved its own post. For more letters and reader comment, on this and other topics, click here. Two years ago I … Read more
Yesterday morning five leading mayoral candidates – Goff, Swarbrick, Crone, Palino and Thomas – visited Mangere’s Ngā Whare Waatea to debate the issues facing South Auckland. Mana magazine editor Leonie Hayden was there. At 9.30am I arrived for the powhiri, as instructed, and waited at the entrance to be called on to Whare Waatea, the … Read more
Figures on the ethnic breakdown of cannabis convictions show the folly of the prime minister’s faith in ‘police discretion’, writes Don Rowe. A majority of New Zealanders now support the decriminalisation of marijuana, according to a poll released last month by the New Zealand Drug Foundation. The survey, conducted by the same company that polls … Read more
An essay by Talia Marshall, taken from her readings of two books published by Bridget Williams – the award-winning Tangata Whenua, and the condensed version, The First Migration: Māori Origins 3000BC-AD1450. 800 years ago, give or take a century, Kupe chased the giant octopus Te Wheke o Muturangi across the vast Pacific ocean away from Hawaiki … Read more
Māori Language Week is upon us and to celebrate, The Spinoff has teamed up with Ra Pomare and Mana magazine to bring you ‘Te Reo Ākina with Ra Pomare’. Funded by Te Māngai Pāho and produced by instagram legend Ra Pomare, learn a Māori phrase every day this week with these helpful videos, depicting real life conversations … Read more
Māori Language Week is upon us and to celebrate, The Spinoff has teamed up with Ra Pomare and Mana magazine to bring you ‘Te Reo Ākina with Ra Pomare’. Funded by Te Māngai Pāho and produced by Ra, learn a Māori phrase every day this week with these helpful videos, depicting real life conversations between ordinary hard-working … Read more
Te Puea Memorial Marae has become the epicentre and symbol of Auckland’s homeless families. The Spinoff’s Madeleine Chapman spent a week volunteering there to compile this report. Photography by Qiane Matata-Sipu. The Warehouse has agreed to match all donations delivered through this story – scroll to the bottom for information on how you can help. Two teenage boys … Read more
It sounds like a bureaucratic bore, but Auckland’s Tripartite Economic Summit, with guests including a British YouTube superstar and an American political “rock star”, is the hottest ticket in town. Tim Murphy reports from day one. YouTuber Tom Cassell – who is globally famous as Syndicate Tom – has been walking and talking around Auckland, … Read more