Culture, communication, connection and healing... these are our top ten feature stories about tangata whenua this year.
Jade Morgan: the right to whakapapa
Dunedin man Jade Morgan has not let a jail sentence and early gang ties define him. His work reconnecting prisoners with their whakapapa - through martial arts, kapa haka and oratory - has been recognised with a national award.
Jade Morgan teaching his tikanga programme "Te Hōkai Manea Tipuna" Photo: supplied
Francis and Kaiora Tipene on life and the business of death
Hardworking couple Francis and Kaiora Tipene run two Auckland funeral homes, care for their large family and star in the hugely popular reality TV show The Casketeers.
Francis and Kaiora Tipene Photo: supplied
Dr Nepia Mahuika explains mākutu and its history
Mākutu has been described as Māori witchcraft and even black magic, but such descriptions are from a western perspective, says historian Nepia Mahuika.
Dr. Nēpia Mahuika Photo: Supplied/Waikato University
Dr Hinemoa Elder: the life benefits of ancient Māori wisdom
Psychiatrist Dr Hinemoa Elder has always been fascinated by the "nuggets of ancient wisdom" that are Māori whakataukī (traditional proverbs). Now she's written a book about them – Aroha.
Dr Hinemoa Elder Photo: Emerge Aotearoa
Rawinia Higgins: revitalising te reo is a three-generation process
How can New Zealand reach the goal of getting 1 million Māori language speakers by 2040? Te reo Māori expert and advocate Professor Rawinia Higgins talks about the opportunities ahead.
Professor Rawinia Higgins Photo: Supplied.
Tapu Te Ranga Marae: a young woman finds her place
When Kahu Kutia moved to Wellington, she needed solid ground to stand on. That turangawaewae became Tapu Te Ranga Marae in Island Bay. In the podcast He Kākano Ahau, Kahu explores stories of Māori in the city.
Kahu Kutia Photo: UGP / Nicole Hunt
Tangata Whenua: the settlement of Aotearoa
Robbie Nicol and Finnius Teppett break down how Māori established a way of life throughout Aotearoa in the series The Citizen’s Handbook.
TBC Photo: Kevin & Co / Tim Batt
Mahi a Atua: a Māori approach to mental wellbeing
Mahi a Atua draws on the stories, narratives and healing practices of te ao Māori (the Māori world). Psychiatrist Diana Kopua gives us an insight into the work and research behind it.
Dr Diana Kopua and Mark Kopua Photo: Dr Diana Kopua (supplied)
Wahakura: a woven cradle to save babies' lives
Award-winning professor David Tipene Leach applied mātauranga Māori to create the wahakura, a woven flax bassinet which functions as a safe sleeping space for babies in their parents’ bed.
Professor David Tipene Leach has won the 2020 Tahunui-a-Rangi Award for leading the team that developed wahakura for safe shared sleeping. Photo: Eastern Institute of Technology
