He Timotimo : Free te reo Māori taster sessions starting 8 June

He Timotimo: free reo Māori lessons for beginners

Nau mai, haere mai to ‘He Timotimo’, Wellington City Libraries’ te reo Māori taster sessions!

We know it can be scary to start learning a new language and that te reo Māori classes fill up quickly in Wellington so we are pleased to announce that we have free, friendly classes Thursday evenings starting Thursday 8 June  at Te Awe Library that are available for bookings now.

Book online

These are introductory classes for beginners and will have a new topic each week as a taster, he timotimo, to get you started. The sessions will be fun and you will be supported as you learn the basics with our specially designed programme developed by Neavin Broughton and taught in association with Jordana Turahui.

When?

Thursdays, 5:30-6:30pm, starting 8 June and running for six weeks

Where?

Te Awe Library, 29B Brandon Street in the CBD

What?

These taster sessions are suitable for absolute beginners and we are now taking bookings. Each class will feature a new topic. Bookings will be essential for each date as numbers are limited. As each week is booked separately you don’t need to worry if you have to miss a week.

The classes are informal and you will not need textbooks or other materials, you might just want to bring a notebook and pen to take some notes.

How to Book?

Book online for each session. If you have any questions please Contact Us.

50 Years of Te Matatini

Ka mau te wehi! Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata kicks off in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland today following a four year hiatus, after the 2021 festival was postponed due to the pandemic. Te Matatini (the many faces) is often described as the Olympics of kapa haka and is the pinnacle event for Māori performing arts, where kapa haka rōpū from across Aotearoa compete over four days to be crowned Toa Whakaihuwaka – the champions of Te Matatini. Te Matatini turned 50 in 2022, so the 2023 festival also celebrates this incredible milestone.

The most recent Te Matatini festival, Te Matatini ki te Ao, was hosted by Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington in 2019 and saw 3000 participants performing in front of a global audience of 1350000! This year, 48 rōpū from across Aotearoa and two from Australia will be taking the stage at Ngā Ana Wai Eden Park, with the nine finalist teams performing on Saturday.

Explore our booklist below, featuring old and new pukapuka about Te Matatini, kapa haka and the history of waiata and Māori performing arts in Aotearoa. We’re especially excited for the arrival of He Tau Makuru, specially released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Te Matatini, and we also have some picture books about kapa haka. Kia pai tāu pānui! Happy reading!

He Tau Makuru : 50 Years of Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival
“Te Matatini (the many faces) is the world’s largest celebration of contemporary Māori performing arts – the Olympics of kapa haka. This national kapa haka festival is held in Aotearoa New Zealand every two years. In 2022, Te Matatini celebrates its fiftieth year, and this book (alongside an album and web series) honours the festival.” (from publisher’s site).

Mātāmua ko te kupu! : te haka tēnā! te wana, taku ihi e, pupuritia / Kāretu, T. S.
“Sir Timoti Karetu is one of the country’s leading exponents of te reo Māori. He is also an unrivalled creator of waiata and haka, composing songs and judging at Te Matatini and other events. In this book, Sir Timoti shares his extensive experience in the artforms of haka and waiata – from Māori songs of the two world wars to the rise of kapa haka competitions, from love songs to action songs, from Sir Apirana Ngata to Te Puea Herangi, and from Te Matatini to contemporary hui on marae. Written in exemplary te reo Māori, Matamua ko te Kupu! will become a taonga of Māori knowledge and language.” (Adapted from catalogue)

Ka mau te Wehi = Taking haka to the world : Bub & Nen’s story / Wehi, Ngapo
“Ngapo and Pimia Wehi, affectionately known as Bub and Nen, have achieved what no other partnership has accomplished in a lifetime of kapa haka. With over a century of combined experience in Māori song and dance, leading teams and teaching, they are recognised as New Zealand’s foremost leaders in this ever-expanding arena. Ka Mau Te Wehi is a rare insight into Bub and Nen’s private lives and their journey to enhance the Māori culture they so dearly loved. Additionally, it offers a personalised history of contemporary Māori music and performance over more than half a century, surveying the origins of modern kapa haka and the path of its intense growth as a national and international phenomenon.” (Adapted from catalogue).

Kia Rōnaki = The Māori performing arts
“In the last thirty years there has been an explosion of interest in the Māori performing arts but until now there has been no general book written in English or Māori about the Māori performing arts by Māori authors and exponents of the various genres. This new work, brings together the expertise of a range of performance artists and academics, consolidating their knowledge into a comprehensive single volume that will be of relevance to all those interested in the Māori performing arts.” (Catalogue)

Ngā mōteatea : he maramara rere nō ngā waka maha / Ngata, Apirana Turupa
“This classic text on Māori culture collects indigenous New Zealand songs recorded over a period of 40 years by a respected Māori leader and distinguished scholar. The essence of Māori culture and its musical tradition is exhibited in the original song texts, translations, audio CDs, and notes from contemporary scholars featured in this new edition. This rare cultural treasure makes accessible a fleeting moment in Māori history when traditional practices and limited experience with the outside world allowed indigenous songs and customs to flourish.” (Catalogue)

Haka : te tohu o te whenua rangatira = the dance of a noble people / Kāretu, T. S.
“All New Zealanders are familiar with haka, especially the famous ‘Ka mate ka mate’, but few would be able to describe what haka really is. Timoti Karetu describes the various types of haka and their different roles in Māori customs.” (Catalogue)

 

 

The Māori action song : waiata a ringa, waiata kori, no whea tenei ahua hou / Shennan, Jennifer
“This book is a discussion of Māori action songs. A number of the earliest action songs are remembered and performed as classics up to 60 years later. Recent developments have taken the action song away from the simplicity of its earliest form with borrowed European melodies, to more sophisticated compositions including dramatic effects with interpolated haka rhythms. It is this process-the instinctive moulding of innovated movement into the aesthetically acceptable dance style-which makes absorbing study.” (Adapted from catalogue)

Māori action songs : words and music, action and instructions / Ngata, Reupena
“The action song is a modern addition to Māori performing arts, pioneered in the early twentieth century by Sir Apirana Ngata.  Almost a century after it first appeared, the waiata kori (action song) is flourishing among kapa haka groups up and down Aotearoa. Māori Action Songs is the classic introduction to this distinctive art form – ideal for teachers, groups or individuals.  This new, totally redesigned edition presents a concise introduction to the important elements of the songs, and outlines in simple terms 30 songs for different occasions with words, music and actions described in easy-to-follow diagrams.” (Catalogue)

Haka : a living tradition / Gardiner, Wira
“A source of pride or a source of controversy, the Haka is an integral part of New Zealand’s culture. One of the most identifiable symbols of New Zealand, most people know little of the history, variation or meaning of this powerful challenge. This work aims to explain it all.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Ngā tatangi a te whare karioi = That special place where uniquely Māori sounds are created / Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival
“A record of the key events of Festival 2009″ — Chairman’s introd.” (Catalogue)

 

 

The greatest haka festival on earth / Tahau-Hodges, Pania
“It’s national kapa haka competition time again, and this Māori performing arts festival is a big event! It needs planning, tactics and dedication – and that’s just for the people watching! Nan’s a hardcore kapa haka follower, and she shows her mokopuna all the tricks to get the best seats, find the choicest pāua and whitebait fritters, hunt out the coolest poi and pounamu, and meet the star performers. And all along, Nan’s keeping a big secret that’s only revealed when the star performer does Nan’s amazing signature poi move – and her group wins the competition”–Publisher information.” (Catalogue)

The girls in the kapahaka / Belcher, Angie
“A children’s kapahaka group prepare for a kapahaka with the help of their whanau. Includes glossary of Māori terms. Suggested level: junior, primary.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival 2009, 19-22 February / Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival
Includes brief biographies of judges, emcees and kapa haka teams.
Chiefly in English with some text in Māori.

Nga Waiata me nga haka a te kapa haka o Te Whare Wananga o Waikato
Māori songs with English translations.

Recent additions to the Māori Collection

A wide range of books have been added to our Māori Collection over the past few months across a variety of subjects – have a browse and add them to your to-read list!

Te Ōhākī Tapu : John Stuart Mill & Ngāti Maniapoto / Ormsby, Maurice
“Te Ōhākī Tapu – the Formal Pact – was made between 1882 and 1885 by five tribes of the Rohe Pōtae (King Country) led by Ngāti Maniapoto, with the colonial government which needed land for the main trunk railway line. The iwi sought access to the wider money economy, European agricultural technology and development finance. The influence of Utilitarianism – and of its proponent John Stuart Mill – is evident in Te Ōhākī Tapu, as it is in the 1835 Ngā Puhi declaration of independence and the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi. Unlike the Treaty, Te Ōhākī Tapu took place in the context of an established New Zealand legal system and a parliamentary democracy. Although the government did not honour the Formal Pact, Ngāti Maniapoto did, even to the point of going to war on behalf of its erstwhile enemies. The Utilitarian basis of our public policy is still apparent today. It explains the marked difference in approaches to lawmaking between New Zealand and countries such as Australia and the United States.” (adapted from Catalogue)

A fire in the belly of Hineāmaru : a collection of narratives about Te Tai Tokerau tūpuna / Webber, Melinda
“Remarkable stories of twenty-four inspirational tupuna of Te Tai Tokerau.” (Catalogue)
Read more about this title over on the Auckland University Press website

Te Maiharoa and the promised land / Mikaere, Buddy
“In 1848, eight million hectares of land in Te Waipounamu – the South Island – was purportedly sold for just £2000. Hipa Te Maiharoa, a charismatic prophet, in the 1870s led his people in the fight against the injustice of this land deal by occupying land they believed had not been sold. This ongoing battle against the Crown was waged with words – but eventually let to an armed confrontation in 1879. Based on interviews with kaumātua and extensive research, renowned Māori historian Buddy Mikaere tells the moving story of Te Maiharoa.” (Catalogue)

Image from Bridget Williams BooksThe English text of the Treaty of Waitangi / Fletcher, Ned
“How was the English text of the Treaty of Waitangi understood by the British in 1840? With one exception, the Treaty sheets signed by rangatira and British officials were in te reo Māori. The Māori text, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, was a translation by the missionary Henry Williams of a draft in English provided by William Hobson. Despite considerable scholarly attention to the Treaty, the English text has been little studied. In part, this is because the original English draft exists only in fragments in the archive; it has long been regarded as lost or ‘unknowable’, and in any event superseded by the authoritative Māori text. […] Through groundbreaking scholarship, Fletcher concludes that the Māori and English texts of the Treaty reconcile, and that those who framed the English text intended Māori to have continuing rights to self-government (rangatiratanga) and ownership of their lands. This original understanding of the Treaty, however, was then lost in the face of powerful forces in the British Empire post-1840, as hostility towards indigenous peoples grew alongside increased intolerance of plural systems of government.” (adapted from Catalogue)

Image from Bridget Williams BooksKāinga tahi, kāinga rua : Māori housing realities and aspirations
“Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua surveys the many ways Māori experience home and housing across Aotearoa New Zealand. These accounts range from the broader factors shaping Maori housing aspirations through to the experiences of whānau, hapū, and iwi that connect to specific sites and locations. From statistically informed analyses to more poetic renderings of the challenges and opportunities of Māori housing, the book encompasses a rich range of voices and perspectives. Opening with chapters on the wider contexts – history, land, colonisation – the book moves through to focused, and often intimate, discussions of the relationships between housing, home and identity.” (adapted from Catalogue)

Mokorua : ngā korero mō tōku moko kauae = my story of moko kauae / Tikao, Ariana
“Mokorua is a revealing and emotional account of one woman receiving her moko kauae. Ariana Tikao grew up in suburban Christchurch in the 1970s and ’80s surrounded by te ao Pākehā. This book tells the story of Ariana exploring her whakapapa, her whānau history, and her language. This is one woman’s story, but it is interwoven with the revival of language, tikanga and identity among Kāi Tahu whānau over the last thirty years. Ariana’s journey culminates in her decision to take on Mokorua – her moko kauae – from tā moko artist Christine Harvey. Through Ariana’s words, te reo Māori text by her hoa tāne Ross Calman, and an intimate, moving photo essay by Matt Calman, Mokorua reveals the journey of one woman reclaiming her Māori identity.” (adapted from Catalogue)

Image from Bridget Williams BooksTe Motunui Epa / Buchanan, Rachel
“‘This is a story about the power of art to help us find a way through the darkness. It is about how art can bring out the best in us, and the worst. The artworks in question are five wooden panels carved in the late 1700s by relatives in Taranaki.’ Commissioned, created, mounted, dismantled, hidden, found, sold, smuggled, on-sold, advertised for auction, withdrawn from auction, touched, judged, debated, locked up, hidden, found, re-sold, returned. This stunning book examines how five interconnected archival records, Te Motunui Epa, have journeyed across the world and changed international law, practices and understanding on the protection and repatriation of stolen cultural treasures. By placing these taonga/tupuna at the centre of the story, Rachel Buchanan (Taranaki, Te Atiawa) present a narrative, richly illustrated, that provides a fascinating and rare account of art, ancestors and power.” (Catalogue)

Image from Bridget Williams BooksThe best of e-Tangata. Volume two
“A thought-provoking set of Māori, Pasifika, and tangata Tiriti writers combine in this celebration of some of the best writing from E-Tangata. Traverse a landscape of contemporary and historical issues through the lens of a mother’s loss, a man’s hard-won expertise, a homesick student abroad and with the knowledge that all good things begin with ten guitars. These writings exemplify that grief and hope go hand-in-hand in the pursuit of justice and the reclaiming of identities in Aotearoa and the Pacific.” (from Bridget Williams Books)

Unfinished business : ki hea āpōpō / Curtis, Toby
“The late Te Arawa leader sets out his life from poverty to knighthood with frank views on education and racism. Knowing that he was unwell, over the past year the late Sir Toby Curtis worked with long-time friend Dr Lorraine Berridge McLeod to record his life and views on key areas from his stellar career — especially Māori education and leadership, and his experience of racism.” (Catalogue)

Top 100 Non-Fiction books from 2022

Highlights of 2022

Our list of the top 100 non-fiction books for 2022 includes the best in memoirs and biographies, poetry, local history, science and technology, health, cooking, music, art and architecture. We’ve selected an eclectic mix of acclaimed local authors, New York Times Bestsellers, Pulitzer prize winners and breakthrough newcomers, meaning there’s plenty of choice for the deep-dive readers and coffee book lovers alike (and everyone in-between).

2022 Non-fiction Highlights — Browse the full list
Browse the full list with all our picks, or browse just the topic you enjoy!

I'm glad my mom died / Jeanette McCurdyMy fourth time, we drowned / Sally HaydenAs ever, the compelling human stories encompassing grief, love, personal trauma and strengths of character shine through, with a hearty selection of memoirs and biographies to choose from, including Sally Hayden’s critically acclaimed My fourth time, we drowned. Topping our most heavily reserved new non-fiction title of 2022 was Jennette McCurdy’s hit memoir I’m glad my mom died. A little further off the beaten path, was Hua Hsu’s ‘quietly wrenching’ coming-of-age memoir Stay True, and the visual delight of Kate Beaton’s graphic memoir Ducks: two years in the oil sands.

Contributions to the local poetry scene were beautifully espoused in Khadro Mohamed’s We’re all made of lightning and in the visual expressions of the poet/painter collaboration within Bordering on Miraculous. Shining locally likewise, the great architectural designs in Making Space and HomeGround, which highlight design as a conduits to push social boundaries in Aotearoa New Zealand communities.

Regenesis / by George MonbiotCalls for climate awareness were made riveting in The Alarmist, Nomad Century and Regenesis. Our oceans were also a focal point for many this year, and explored in great depth, with Jellyfish age backwards, Secrets of the Sea and in Adrift: the curious tale of Lego lost at sea, among others.

The collapse of historic empires, stories of divided nations and political parties in turmoil were explored in a multitude of ways in the vast array of global history titles featured on our list. Included are Legacy of Violence: A history of the British Empire by Pulitzer prize winning Historian Caroline Elkins, and Fragments of a contested past: Remembrance, denial and New Zealand history by Joanna Kidman.

Wawata: Moon Dreaming / by Hinemoa ElderWe let the world’s first astronomers take us on a star gazing tour, and found daily wisdom in Hinemoa Elder’s Wawata: Moon Dreaming. Cap off 2022 by allowing yourself to become enveloped in worlds both near and far, and understand our past, present and future within the Top 100 non-fiction books of 2022 list. Pair with our Top 100 fiction books list, and you’re all set for your Summer Reading Adventure.

Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts and Te Matatini – Part 3

Haere mai and welcome to the third blog in our ‘Te Whare Tapere to Kapa Haka and Māori Concert Party’ series. You can find Part One, and Part Two here.

The modern kapa haka competitions began around the time of the first Waitangi Day celebrations in 1934:

Ngapuhi performance at Waitangi, 1934 — NZHistory.net

The Polynesian Festivals were held at Rotorua, 1972 and 1976. Regional teams took part, but also present were Pacific rōpū until 1983 when the festivals became the Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts Festival.

In 1976, rōpū representing Guam and Australia attended the festival. Guam had become an unincorporated territory of USA in August 1950, and its contribution to the festival revealed an almost complete annihilation of the indigenous culture. The rōpū’s waiata-ā-ringa including the shooting down of Japanese invader planes (30 years after the end of WWII), and the singing of the current USA pop song (in English) of ‘How much is that doggie in the window’.

The Aboriginal rōpū told their stories in dramatic role plays backed by their instruments such as didgeridoo — they didn’t stand in kapa / lines for their cultural performances at all.

The Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts Festival existed between 1983 and 2004.

Have watch of the Iwi Anthems television programme, which began screening on Māori Television in 2013:

Watch episodes of Iwi Anthems

Every iwi has an anthem, they are the waiata and haka we love to perform at gatherings. Our iwi anthems tell unique stories about our tribes revealing who we are and what’s important to us.

The competitions rotated from marae to marae setting, with tribal influences dominant in each iwi/hapū territory. The iwi anthems became signature tunes for the respective iwi, with perpetuation of dialect specific to their region. With the influence of migrations to urban centres in search of jobs and upskilling (by trade training, nursing, etc) there was a move to pan-tribal rōpū with pan-tribal influences for members, composers, tutors.

Watch a video from Te Ara of Kapa haka group Te Waka Huia performing the whakaeke (entrance) at the 1996 Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts Festival:

Video — Te Waka Huia, 1996

Te Rita Papesch has written an overview of those years in the book: The state of the Māori nation : twenty-first-century issues in Aotearoa, published in 2006:

“Kapa Haka” — Chapter 2 in State of the Māori nation : twenty-first-century issues in Aotearoa
“Dealing with a diverse range of issues that affect Maori living in modern-day New Zealand, State of the Maori Nation is a collection of 22 short and informative essays drawn from Maori commentators, historians, teachers, researchers and academics working across the country in all manner of industries. This is a book with something for everyone — Maori and Pakeha, men and women, young and old — and gives a vision of a confident and capable people moving from strength to strength within every aspect of contemporary New Zealand society. The subjects covered in the book include: kapa haka […]” (Catalogue)

Te Matatini was formed in 2004, and the competition has now moved to a handful of centralised city settings – influenced by underlying economic factors such as the large size of the moveable stage, and the cost of hosting the competitions. But there has also, lately, been a return to the telling of tribal stories alongside themes of world-wide concerns.

Te Matatini performances have become dramatic, passionate, fluid, and topical in the stories they bring to the stage, but the staunch tutors and leaders of the kapa haka teams declare the centre of Kapa Haka lies, and must always lie, with the care and attention to the reo within these cultural performances, even where a regimented “correct” body poses of the past ideals are no longer of paramount importance.

Watch Hikurangi‘s Te Matatini performance in 2019. Here is the signature waiata of Ngāti Porou – where the rangi and costumes honour the legacy of Te Moana-nui-a-kiwa Ngarimu, but the actions, foot, arm, hip movements are vigorous, “lively” and far from “traditional”:

Hikurangi’s kapa haka legacy continues — Article and video

“Aspiring to preserve the waiata, traditions and legacy of their kapa, Hikurangi is one of the longest-standing kapa in the country, having been established in 1934.”

Further books from our shelves:

Haka : te tohu o te whenua rangatira = the dance of a noble people / Kāretu, T. S. (1993)
Timoti Karetu describes the various types of haka and their different roles in Māori customs.

Mātāmua ko te kupu! : te haka tēnā! te wana, taku ihi e, pupuritia / Kāretu, T. S. (2020)
“[Sir Tīmoti Kāretu] is also an unrivalled creator of waiata and haka, composing songs and judging at Te Matatini and other events. In this book, Sir Timoti shares his extensive experience in the artforms of haka and waiata – from Maori songs of the two world wars to the rise of kapa haka competitions, from love songs to action songs, from Sir Apirana Ngata to Te Puea Herangi, and from Te Matatini to contemporary hui on marae.” (Catalogue)

Kia Rōnaki = The Māori performing arts
“In the last thirty years there has been an explosion of interest in the Māori performing arts but until now there has been no general book written in English or Māori about the Māori performing arts by Māori authors and exponents of the various genres. This new work, Kia Rōnaki: The Māori Performing Arts, edited by John Moorfield, Tania Ka’ai and Rachael Ka’ai-Mahuta, brings together the expertise of a range of performance artists and academics, consolidating their knowledge into a comprehensive single volume that will be of relevance to all those interested in the Māori performing arts.” (Catalogue)

Haka : a living tradition / Gardiner, Wira

Chapter “Kapa Haka as a web of cultural meanings” by Hector Kaiwai, in Cultural studies in Aotearoa New Zealand : identity, space and place

Kapa haka mai rānō ki tēnei wā, has been important to iwi on several levels — as a driver of perfection in te reo, as a way of carrying through stories pūrākau and traditions of the past, and now, as a way of raising awareness of current local and global issues.

Kia kaha te reo Māori — mō āke tonu atu.

Read more:

Rauemi Reo : a guide to resources to help strengthen your reo Māori

Waka Welcome at Whare Waka. Te Rerenga Kōtare : Karu atua : two eyes through which the way ahead is viewed

Wellington City Libraries staff have produced an online pamphlet of “Rauemi Reo : a guide to resources to help strengthen your reo Māori”.

During this 50th anniversary of the Petihana Reo Māori, which launched Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, it is fitting to dip into some of the published grammar, dictionaries and language learning books which we hold in our libraries, as well as a growing number of online links to apps, videos, and general websites.

The desire by people of all walks of life to learn te Reo Māori is flourishing at a phenomenal pace.

Television staff are making a huge impact with their daily use of phrases, and those of us who may have dipped into te reo classes in the past, are again impelled to rejoin the ranks of Te Reo learners. I enjoy the added comments in Te Reo Māori seamlessly and smoothly inserted into the evening weather roundup on TVOne. Kia kaha te reo Māori.