Latest news with #TeArawa
NZ Herald
13 hours ago
- General
- NZ Herald
Q&A with Ockham Book Award-winning Rotorua author Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku
Curator, critic, activist, the first female Māori Emeritus Professor from a university – and now the winner of New Zealand's top prize for general non-fiction. Rotorua's Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku (Te Arawa, Waikato, Tūhoe) won the award for her memoir Hine Toa: A at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards last month.
The Spinoff
23-05-2025
- General
- The Spinoff
Reading the lost diary of the first indigenous woman to study at Oxford
A hundred years ago, the formidable guide, scholar and cultural authority Mākereti Papakura was documenting village life, politics and high-society visits in Whakarewarewa. Now, her whanaunga June Northcroft-Grant revisits those diary pages with fresh eyes. This year, more than a century after she enrolled at Oxford University, pioneering Te Arawa scholar Mākereti Papakura will be awarded a posthumous Master of Philosophy in Anthropology from the University of Oxford. The recognition honours her extraordinary contribution to ethnography – one that challenged colonial norms by documenting the richness of Māori life from within. Born in Matatā in 1873 and raised in Whakarewarewa, Mākereti was a cultural authority, a beloved guide and the first known indigenous woman to enrol at Oxford. Her thesis, published after her sudden death in 1930 as The Old-Time Māori, remains a landmark work. For her descendants and the people of Tūhourangi – Ngāti Wāhiao, the honour is a long-overdue affirmation of a life lived boldly across worlds. And for one of her whānau, reading through her 1907 diary reveals just how alive, political and purposeful that life really was. As a child, I was captivated by a black-and-white photo in my parents' old album. It showed an enigmatic Māori woman wearing a headscarf and a large hei tiki, staring out with knowing eyes. My father Henry, who was raised in Whakarewarewa from 1915 by his kuia Rakera, told me she was his mother's cousin: Mākereti Papakura. He called her Whaea. She had lived in England, spoke 'like the Queen,' and once returned to the village in the 1920s for a brief visit. To my father, she was a glamorous figure – worldly and impressive. I was in my forties when I rediscovered her story. I remembered that Mākereti had left a diary behind in her sister Bella's home, Teawaimanukau. Reading it as an adult was something else entirely. The names she wrote of – Apirana, Maui, Te Rangihiroa, Tawa – were no longer just names. I knew who they were, what they meant to us, and to Aotearoa. Her diary, written in 1907, reveals a vibrant life at Whakarewarewa: hosting visitors from across the world, guiding tourists through geothermal wonders, and sharing meals and conversations with some of the most influential Māori thinkers of her generation. Sir Apirana Ngata, Sir Maui Pomare, and Sir Peter Buck (Te Rangihiroa) feature regularly, not as distant historical figures, but as friends. Alongside them, captain Gilbert Mair (Tawa), a close family friend, appears frequently in her entries. Together, these young leaders formed what became known as the Young Māori Party – a visionary collective working to uplift Māori health, education, land development and cultural pride. Friday February 8, 1907: Tawa only in Ohinemutu – arranging Porimi's funeral. Spent evening & had dinner with us… Brought some lovely peaches. He is a dear old father to us. Letter in Herald by W.B. Te Kuiti. A beautiful article written by an educated man and one who understands the Māori race. Kia ora W.B. Te Kuiti A Ake! Ake! Ake! One entry records Te Rangihiroa and his wife coming to live in the village. Others note her deep affection for her sister Bella, her grief when sending young nieces to boarding school, and the small joys and outrages of daily life. From lighthearted mentions of local observers satirising her haka, to fury at a policeman trying to stop villagers from bathing in their own pools, her voice is vivid. Sunday June 30, 1907: Constable came out and said Māoris were not to bathe in roadside bath and he took down the names of the people there. Like their impudence to talk and interfere with things on our own private grounds. The diary also captures moments of national significance. During Ngata's campaign for parliament, Mākereti records the excitement, the vehicles used to shuttle voters, the gatherings and the performances. Wednesday December 4, 1907: Great excitement over our own election for Apirana Ngata. We had a motorcar to convoy our people backwards and forwards… Big lunch at Wahiao for all the tribes and our own people. Everything a huge success.' And then, this mysterious note: Tuesday November 19, 1907: A day never to be forgotten. No explanation follows. But in the back of the diary is a name and address: Richard Staples-Brown, Brampton, Oxfordshire. Four years later, Mākereti would marry him. They later divorced. And she, ever determined, went on to enrol at Oxford University to study anthropology. She was in her fifties, living modestly, struggling with illness, and racing to finish her thesis when she died suddenly in 1930. Her friend and fellow anthropologist, Thomas K. Penniman, kept his promise to her. He helped ensure her manuscript, The Old-Time Maori, was published posthumously. In a 1936 letter to Bella Wiari, he wrote: 'Those of us who loved her and admired the Māori people are anxious that her work should be published without any mistakes, so that both the younger people of Te Arawa and the people of the world should know how fine the old Māori civilisation was, and what it has to contribute to the world.' That sentiment still rings true. Reading her diary over a century later, I see not only the voice of a pioneering scholar and cultural guide but the enduring wairua of a woman who loved her people, her village, and her world.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Brydie Colquhoun's Rongo Whakapā Decolonises The Performance Space
Rongo Whakapā is the debut choreographic work by one of Aotearoa's most captivating Māori contemporary dance artists Brydie Colquhoun (Ngāpuhi) on from Fri 11 – Sun 13 July at Te Pou Theatre. Presented by Atamira Dance Company this bold and intimate new work invites audiences into a circular, non-traditional space to experience performance in 360 degrees—free to move, enter, and exit the environment as they choose. With five performances only and limited audience capacity Rongo Whakapā explores themes of connection, presence, and the tension between individualism and collective community. It asks us to slow down and consider new - and perhaps old - ways of gathering and witnessing. Meaning 'sense of touch,' Rongo Whakapā responds to a contemporary world marked by increasing disconnection. This 70-minute work invites people to tune in and be fully present as they share space with six dancers who build an ever-shifting environment through movement in a decolonised performance space. Choreographer Brydie Colquhoun draws on her extensive embodied knowledge of contact improvisation, durational movement, and score-based practices, supported with sound design by Eden Mulholland and spatial design by Rowan Pierce. Building the foundational shape of this work are conversations, interviews, and wānanga with Mātanga Mātauranga Māori, whānau, colleagues, and friends around intimacy and connection in our contemporary lives. 'Brydie moves through the world with care, integrity, and intention. Rongo Whakapā is a beautiful unfolding of her journey—an offering of presence, intimacy, and reconnection. This work holds us gently while asking powerful questions about how we gather, how we touch, and how we listen.' — Bianca Hyslop (Te Arawa), Kaihautū, Atamira Dance Company PERFORMANCE DETAILS RONGO WHAKAPĀ Choreographed by Brydie Colquhoun Te Pou Theatre Fri 11 July – 7.30pm Sat 12 July – 4.00pm & 7.30pm Sun 13 July – 2.00pm & 5.00pm Duration: 70 minutes (no interval) Tickets: CREATIVE TEAM Kaitito Nekehanga | Choreographer: Brydie Colquhoun (Ngāpuhi) Dance Artists: Abbie Rogers (Kāi Tahu, Te Arawa), Sean MacDonald (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Raukawa, Tūwharetoa, Rangitāne), Caleb Heke (Ngāpuhi), Jeremy Beck (Kāi Tahu), Rachel Ruckstuhl-Mann (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Rangitāne), Tai Taranui Hemana (Te Arawa) Kaihoahoa/Set & Lighting Designer: Rowan Pierce Kaitito | Sound Designer: Eden Mulholland (Ngāti Porou) Advisors: Tūī Mātira Ranapiri-Ransfield, Mokonui-a-rangi Smith, Miriama McDowell Kaihautū: Bianca Hyslop (Te Arawa) Kaiwhakaputa Auaha: Marama Lloydd (Ngāpuhi, Te Tahawai, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu) Kaiwhakahaere: Ashley David Kaiwhakahaere Tairanga, Kaiwhakahaere Ako: Abbie Rogers Atamira Dance Company is a leading force in Māori contemporary dance, fostering artistic excellence, nurturing talent, and creating transformative experiences that resonate globally. It uplifts, inspires, leads, and celebrates the richness of te ao Māori through performances, collaborations, and advocacy, honouring mātauranga Māori through storytelling that connects celestial wisdom with earthly expression.
Times
05-05-2025
- Science
- Times
Posthumous degree for Maori princess, first indigenous woman at Oxford
The University of Oxford is to award a posthumous degree to a Maori princess who is believed to be the first indigenous woman to enrol there. Makereti Papakura, born Margaret Pattison Staples-Browne in New Zealand in 1873, studied at the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Society of Home Students, now St Anne's College, in 1927, where she read anthropology. Her research considered the customs of her Te Arawa tribe from a female and indigenous perspective. She never graduated: in April 1930, three weeks before she was due to present her thesis, she died unexpectedly. With permission of Makereti's family, her dissertation was edited and later published posthumously by her friend and fellow Oxford anthropologist, TK Penniman, under the title The Old-Time Maori. The research
Telegraph
05-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Oxford to award degree to Maori princess who died 100 years ago
The University of Oxford is to award a posthumous degree to a Maori princess who died almost 100 years ago. Makereti Papakura, who was born Margaret Pattison Thom in 1873 in New Zealand, enrolled at Oxford in 1927 to study anthropology. Ms Papakura is believed to have been the first indigenous woman to matriculate at the university. Her research focused on the customs and practices of her Te Arawa tribal group, offering an analysis from a female perspective. She undertook her studies at the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Society of Home Students, now St Anne's College. However, the princess died unexpectedly in April 1930, three weeks before she was due to present her thesis. Her dissertation was later edited and published posthumously by TK Penniman, her friend and fellow anthropologist, under the title The Old-Time Maori. The work is recognised by the Royal Society of New Zealand as the first ethnographic study of Maori life authored by a Maori scholar. The decision to award the degree was approved by Oxford's Education Committee following an application by the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography (SAME), supported by St Anne's College and the Pitt Rivers Museum. The university announced the award last week. The degree will be conferred at a ceremony later this year in the Sheldonian Theatre, presided over by Prof Irene Tracey, the vice-chancellor. Members of Ms Papakura's family and representatives of the Maori community are expected to attend. 'Makereti is an inspiring figure' Prof Clare Harris, head of SAME, said: 'We are delighted that the extraordinary achievements of Makereti, the first indigenous woman to study at Oxford, have been recognised by the University of Oxford with the award of a posthumous MPhil degree. 'Makereti is an inspiring figure, not only to many in Aotearoa [New Zealand], but to students and scholars around the world.' June Northcroft Grant, on behalf of Ms Papakura's family and tribe [Tuhourangi, Ngati Wahiao], said: 'We are grateful to Oxford University for this tribute to Makereti's memory and to all those who have supported her story in the years since her passing. 'It is a testament to the lasting power of education, culture, and the determination of one woman to ensure that Māori stories would not be forgotten. 'We have always known the sacrifices she made to pursue education and the strength it took for her to continue, often in the face of considerable challenges. 'We are especially humbled that her customary tribal practices and the scholarship she possessed have been acknowledged with such careful and respectful consideration by the University's Education Committee. 'This recognition belongs to Makereti, to our ancestors, and to the Maori community worldwide. 'He toi whakairo, he mana tangata (Where there is creative excellence, there is human dignity).'
