Te Ao Māori
News and perspectives for and about tangata whenua in Aotearoa
Friend of iwi leader saddened at child abuse allegations
A close friend of the prominent iwi leader accused of child abuse by his widow says just a few weeks ago she was discussing plans for the unveiling of his headstone. Anihera Black's harrowing… Audio
Te Waonui for week ending 6 July 2018
Calls mount for urgent action to save iconic kauri in Northland's Waipoua forest, Education leaders argue closing charter schools is a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi and hundreds of students take to… Audio
Labour's Māori caucus weighing up Mātariki public holiday
A proposal to make Mātariki a national holiday is being weighed up by the Labour Party's Māori caucus - and if the bill gains widespread support within the party it could be introduced as a private… Audio
Mother speaks out over uplifted child laws
A mother who had three children taken by social services has opened up about when she fell pregnant and her fear that they were taking her baby. Under current laws, most parents who have a previous… Audio
Axing charter schools breaches Treaty, education leaders argue
Two Māori education leaders have lodged a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal alleging that the government's decision to axe charter schools will have a detrimental effect on Māori students. Audio
Emerging stars of kapa haka take to the stage
Upon the dawn of Mataraki hundreds of young students will battle it out at the National Secondary schools competition. Video, Audio
Waka takes Wintec students on learning journey
A new collaborative project to celebrate Matariki. Wintec students have created an interactive sculpture in the form of a waka - to convey aspects of Maori culture, music and storytelling. Project… Audio, Gallery
NZ ‘not geared for affordable housing’
Smaller housing developers are being locked out by bureaucracy costs, and experts say the government must connect people with expertise so affordable housing, particularly for Māori, can be built. Audio
Recognising Maori and Pacific Island poets with Nicola Kawana and Grace Taylor
For a culture to progress - or even exist - it needs the chance to tell its stories. And Maori and Pacific performers have experienced a massive growth in the popularity of spoken word poetry - in… Audio, Gallery
Witi Ihimaera: life and influences
Witi Ihimaera - is one of the best known names in New Zealand literature - works such as Pounamu Pounamu, The Whale Rider and The Matriarch. He was the first Maori writer to publish both a book of… Audio, Gallery
Music 101 Pocket Edition194: Dictaphone Blues/Ponguru
In this week's Pocket Edition, Tony Stamp hosts Dictaphone Blues for a live session. We meet Auckland band Skilaa and a special Matariki treat from Ponguru. Audio
Te Waonui for week ending Friday 29 June 2018
Former Māori Affairs minister Koro Wetere is farewelled at Turangawaewae Marae, Auckland commuters are now hearing te reo Māori on train services and kaumātua across the country show you're never too… Audio
Fruit trees restoring a forgotten way of life in Northland
Hundreds of citrus, feijoa, plum and apple trees are being planted in remote parts of Northland as part of a rural regeneration plan to help Ngāpuhi whānau return to a culture of living off the land.
…Māori skull returned to NZ from Cologne
A tattooed and mummified Māori skull has been returned to Te Papa by the mayor of the German city of Cologne overnight. The Cologne's Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum was holding the skull after it was… Audio
Hundreds gather for Koro Wētere's Tūrangawaewae funeral
A funeral service will be held later this morning at Ngaruawahia's Tūrangawaewae Marae for the former Māori Affairs Minister and long-serving Labour MP, Koro Wētere. Mr Wētere died on Saturday at the… Audio
The young activist devoting her life to protecting ancestral land
Former lawyer Pania Newton's mission to preserve Ihumātao – a stretch of coastal land in Mangere where the first New Zealanders planted Aotearoa's first gardens – has already taken the 27-year-old to… Video, Audio
Auckland train announcements to be made in te reo Māori
From tomorrow, thousands of Aucklanders who use the city's train services each day will hear te reo Māori on their journeys in a New Zealand first for rail commuters. Video, Audio
Kaumatua take centre stage at kapa haka festival
The living legends of kapa haka converged in Wellington over the weekend for the 10th anniversary of the kaumatua kapa haka festival. Around 500 performers in their 70s, 80s and even some in their 90s… Audio
Koro Wētere remembered for contributions to Māori and politics
The former Minister of Māori Affairs Koro Wētere is being remembered as man who put being Maori before politics. The 83-year old died on Saturday from prostate cancer. The 83-year old spent almost… Audio
Pasifika breast cancer deaths twice that of Pakeha
A Māori consultant has spoken out about the offensive and ignorant comments from hospital staff while she being treated for breast cancer. New figures show Māori and Pasifika women are almost twice as… Audio
