Ā mātou kōrero

    Facebook erupts as the whānau share their shots of a crisp, white lawn; trees dressed in a draping of snow; the first flakes of snowfall being captured to the joy of all.   For children under Koro Ruapehu, the snowfall…

  “There was only one thing to do – and that was the right thing”. So said the American television channel in making the decision to cancel the highly successful comedy series, Roseanne after the comedienne made a racist tweet…

  “Forgiveness is like this: a room can be dark because you have closed the windows, you’ve closed the curtains. But the sun is shining outside, and the air is fresh outside. In order to get that fresh air, you…

  The legacy of Nga Puna Wai Karikari o Rakaihautu explains the history in which Rakaihautu used his ko (akin to a spade) to carve out the principal lakes of Te Waipounamu.    Takapō was a traditional mahika kai site used…

  In my last year at primary school my world took on a new dimension.  After the humiliation of the teacher realising that I couldn’t read the capital cities written on the board, I was rushed to the optician and…

  Mauri Tuna by Priscilla Cowie   Tuna pāhekeheke, huanga pāhakohako Wily eels; collaborating relations   The migrating silver belly eels of autumn bring relations together to harvest them in great numbers; food for winter stores, koha and trade. In…

  They say that autumn is the most loveliest, most sensational smile that summer makes before the bleak cold of winter takes over.    Over the last week, as the Akarua Arrowtown Autumn Festival celebrated its 34th year with over…

  My Grandad was devoted to my grandma; always ready to make her a cuppa and laugh at her jokes.  He had a wicked sense of humour and a special glint in his eye that meant you could never know…

The sunlight gathered on Mt Victoria in Whanganui a Tara this week as I sat at the Wharewaka, in a workshop on Crown-Maori Relations.    Mount Victoria has two names which represent its history as a windswept lookout – Tangi-te-keo, “cry…

  My imagination knew no bounds as we travelled along the wild Southland coastal roads this week, passing the beach known as ‘Gemstone’.   It is said that the beach is in a constant state of change, moving from sand dunes…