Meet the Māori at the Met (it’s not Taika) and more inspiring creatives doing their thing abroad.
Kia ora e te iwi,
Nau mai, hoki mai ki Te Arawhata—the Māori abroad edition!
Scroll on down to meet the Māori at the Met, learn what could possibly motivate reo Māori tauira/students to do 4am lessons, get exclusive insights on Ngāti Rānana London Māori Club, the Berlin ceramic scene, and more.
But tuatahi/first, put on your kaweoro/headphones so no one disturbs you because kua tae te wā/the time has come for your weekly news round-up.
- The ‘Foreigners Everywhere’ exhibition at Venice Biennale opens 20 April featuring eight talented Māori artists.
- Te Whenua Moemoeā/Australia Kapa Haka Regionals kick off the same day (20 April)
- Tayi Tibble’s international popularity grows with the US release of her poetry collection, ‘Rangikura’.
- Huia takes out the 2024 Bologna Prize for Best Children's Publisher of the Year, Oceania.
- Isla Reeves, writer and te reo Māori tutor at Avondale Girls, makes the Poetry shortlist for the NZ Book Awards.
- New ‘double header’ show, ‘Toiata + Waiata’ launches on Whakaata Māori.
Wish the reconnection journey was a smidge easier? Us too—until this podcast helped us realise all the opportunities at our fingertips (that Māori in Te Whenua Moemoea dream of). Myanne Jensen, a Danish Māori raised in Aus, kindly reminds reconnectors that we belong—no matter how much we know and which side of the ditch we’re living.
Find it:on Spotify I Time: 1 hour I Cost: free with your sub I Credits: produced by the New Zealand Herald
Founder, Amelia Butler’s, Maori language and cultural knowledge is one (mīharo/amazing) thing, but her super power (experienced first hand in our zui) is in creating truly warm connections and whanaungatanga to effectively share that mōhio over the internet. Not an easy feat, but the surefire reason her Dubai student gets up at 4am for lessons.
Find them: on their website or instagram page I Time: 2 mins to sign up, various length programmes I Cost: various I Credits:Amelia Butler is the head honcho
You know Māori culture is on the rise when you hear Berlin pottery enthusiasts discussing a pounamu inspired mini moon jar. The artist, Carmody Mita Little, is making ngaru/waves in one of the coolest toi/art scenes in the world with his modern pieces—and we can’t help but be filled with pride watching it.
Find it: on his instagram page I Time: 2min scroll I Cost: various I Credits: The artist is Carmody Mita Little
An inspiring look at the work of Maia Nuku, the first Indigenous person from the Pacific to hold a curatorial position at the Met (yeah THE Met). Her whakaaro on Māori artifacts being held abroad have definitely opened our minds and we’re glad she’s the one looking after these taonga. It’s a coffee table book you’ll actually open—again and again.
Find it: on the Met website or at your local library I Time: 10min skims work great I Cost: $50 or free I Credits: published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Sam and Mere are two Māori from Rotorua currently living it up in London.
They're avid travellers, have super successful techy-lawyery careers, and are proud members of and kaiāwhina/assisting with teaching kapa haka for the Ngāti Rānana London Māori Club.
They’re also my mates so I was pretty well positioned for this inside scoop—enjoy!
Tuatahi/Firstly, a bit of background: a big part of Ngāti Rānana is performing and sharing kapa haka but ultimately it’s a cultural group for anyone with an interest in Māori culture, no matter their cultural background.
Mere: I did kapa haka in primary and with whānau, ya know at wānanga, nothing serious at all. So yeah, I was no expert when I first turned up to Ngāti Rānana. It was a little daunting at the start because I only knew some of the waiata but everyone makes you feel really comfortable.
Sam: I’d done it for two years at school (about 15 years ago), but yeah, it was quite nerve racking going into it as you have no idea what it’s going to be like.
Mere: My first international gig was to Paris for the Rugby World Cup opening match. A group of about ten of us were able to go over to do the haka and then obviously enjoy the atmosphere and watch the game from a local pub, so yeah that was really cool.
One of my favourite gigs was in Scotland. We went over to a little place called Perth to perform at a Waitangi ball. We did a kapa haka performance for the guests but it was also a Scottish cèilidh, so we got to get up and do some scottish dancing and singing. Scottish culture is so cool so it was just mean for us to mix in with that. I like those opportunities where we can showcase our culture but also see other cultures.
Sam: Dubai, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain… One of the coolest ones was in Dubai—we were there for a week performing and got to perform alongside Six60 and Sol3 Mio.
Sam: They absolutely love it. The All Blacks have exposed a lot of the world to Māori culture through the haka. Its piqued most people's curiosity and they’re very appreciative to see us perform live. More often than not, people are shedding a few tears when we share our culture.
Mere: Yeah, nah, people love it. The haka is quite popular especially. Most people know it from the All Blacks, so they get really excited for it but then, because their knowledge of kapa haka is so limited, when they start to see what else we can do (you know waiata-a-ringa and poi…) you can just sorta see they're even more amazed.
But yeah, the reception internationally is really strong and people get quite emotional with the haka. We always have people coming up to us after gigs just being really appreciative and thankful and yeah, sometimes quite emotional which is pretty cool to see.
Sam: I lived in Canada for a year in 2017 and found myself very homesick within the first few months. I’ve been here for three years now and don’t have anywhere near the pull I felt when I wasn’t in Ngāti Rānana. The thing I miss the most about home is my whānau.
Mere: Yeah Ngāti Rānana is definitely that; a home away from home. What I miss most about home is just whānau, being able to jump in your car and drive an hour to Rotorua, see your mates, and then go to a hot pool—those are the things I miss. Annnnd mince and cheese pies.
Sam: the train drivers are on strike again (seriously, UK civil servants are on strike monthly).
Mere: I stopped by Buckingham to ask for our land back.
Follow Ngāti Rānana on their facebook and instagram page and be sure to check for events if you’re in that neck of the woods, especially the kirihimete concert!
Thanks for the kōrero kōrua! Lemme see how to go about sending a couple of mince and cheeses in the mail….
Thanks for reading e hoa mā. Hei tērā wiki! Liz, Grace, and Han.
