Te Ao Māori

Our Chinese grandmother made us speak Te Reo

“It was common sense to raise her Māori children in the culture of the land.”

Why I wear both moko kauae and malu

“I can have my legs done and still be Māori, I can have my face done and still be Samoan”

We created the Tino Rangatiratanga flag

“People ask: 'Do you have a flag?' I say, 'I am the flag’."

How Waitangi Day became a day of protest

‘What the hell have we got to celebrate?’

The indigenous bond between Māori and Native Americans

“We’re proud and we’re here today because of the resilience our ancestors instilled in us.”

Why Māori celebrate the ikura/period

“Ikura is a symbol of whakapapa.”

Surviving on Great Barrier Island means living off the land

”Grandad always said, you gotta be a useless bugger if you go hungry here.”

The Land Wars commemoration dedicated to children killed in war

The Māori king Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII visited the site last year.

'At 21 years old... this was not the plan': NZ's youngest MP

We followed New Zealand’s youngest MP in 170 years as she delivered her maiden speech in Parliament.

What a decade of ballroom means for LGBTTQIA+ Māori

Ballroom culture has just celebrated 10 years in Aotearoa.

Connecting to the Pacific through tā moko

“We have the responsibilities to our tūpuna (ancestors) to uphold."

Māori stories on endometriosis

“It becomes a part of your brand as a person. ‘Oh Jade has endo’.”

Empowering wāhine through connecting to the ocean

“It’s made everything even more deep and meaningful. You’re carrying an ocean inside you.”

The traditions connecting rangatahi to the Māori Land Wars

“When they step into that realm, they feel a shift, a movement in the wairua.”

The wharenui connecting Hawai’i to Aotearoa

“The people back home, who built this whare, you can still feel to this day.”

A day on the campaign trail with the Green’s Tamatha Paul

Ohinga spent a day on the trail with Green Party Wellington Central candidate Tamatha Paul.

A day on the campaign trail with Arena Williams

Arena Williams won her first electorate seat in in 2014 at the age of 24.

We quiz people on Māori words

Do you know your tuakana from your teina?

Ko Ōtaki tēnei: the town that loves te reo Māori

"A town committed to nurturing its language, its people, and its vibrant culture."

Reo Māori classes in Australia can’t cope with demand

“Share your treasures with your world.”

How Reece Campbell champions music, Tā Moko and reo Māori, in Australia

“Anything to do with our culture, I love seeing it.”

Bringing whānau home: The family making repatriation from Australia possible

“This is our birthright, Tangihanga is a birthright for Māori."

Mātātoa: the CrossFit comp blending fitness with te reo

Mātātoa is the first Māori language CrossFit event in the country.

Whānau Māori living with dementia: will you look after your Koro or Kui?

“My advice for those dealing with family with dementia , I would say just to practice patience”

The vital role of harvesting kai for hautapu

"Matariki serves as a unifying force, bringing people from all walks of life together."

People tell us what they're doing for Matariki

“Drink some beers, self-reflect, go to the gym.”

Wāhine take the lead in this year's momentous Matariki celebration

Traditionally men have led the karakia for hautapu.

How the art of Tātatau is empowering indigenous wāhine in Australia

“Tātatau is so important to me because it’s something I don’t just wear, but it’s something I live.”

Reclaiming our traditions by not using a surname

“The thing that I don’t agree with is that Māori have to have a last name, that is wrong”.