Headline:Fast Favourites with Miriama Kamo at Birdlings Flat
books te ao Maori 27 minutes ago
The shortlist for the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults was announced this week and, among the titles, is a story on the theme of Matariki by journalist and broadcaster Miriama Kamo. Previously published in English, the book is called Ko nga Whetu Kai o Matariki - ko Tupuanuku raua ko Tupua-rangi or The Kai Stars of Matariki It's illustrated by Zak Waipara and translated by Ariana Stevens and a nominee for the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for Te Reo Maori. A host of TVNZ's Marae and codirector of independent production company Herd, for 22 years Miriama fronted TVNZ's long-form current affairs programme Sunday before it finished up in 2024. But well before that happened, Matariki education and Te Reo education were already part of her mission. Indeed in 2022 Miriama co-wrote the book Matariki Around the World in 2022 with Rangi Matamua As we prepare for Matariki, Miriama Kamo joins us for Culture 101's Fast Favourites.
Tags:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Calling Home: Cath Lealand in Tokyo
Cath Lealand left New Zealand in her early 20s and has called Tokyo home for the past decade. Now working as a freelance translator and model , the former Hamiltonian joins Jim to share what it's like living in one of the world's busiest and most fascinating cities — a sprawling metropolis of 14 million people. Photo: Morio, CC BY-SA 3.0
Otago Daily Times
9 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Community spirit shines
For the 16th year in a row, Kahu Youth will be igniting the community spirit on Matariki day with performances, traditional food and storytelling. The appearance of the Matariki cluster of stars is a significant event in the Maramataka, marking the Māori New Year. These stars, also called Pleiades, become visible in June. The Maramataka is deeply connected to the environment, particularly the ocean and its tides, as the moon influences them. In 2022 Matariki became an official public holiday in Aotearoa, but Kahu Youth had already taken the lead on the celebration with an event that began in 2010. The Wānaka Matariki celebration had humble beginnings with just a potluck meal and some storytelling. It has since flourished into a local highlight, complete with local kapa haka, Māori storytelling about Matariki from local kaumātua Darren Rewi and a traditional hangi feeding over 600 people. Kahu Youth operations director Anna Sutherland said despite the event growing over time, some things had not changed. "The thing that has stayed the same is that this event has been run by community spirit," she said. For her, the value of the celebration was its ability to bring the Upper Clutha community together and teach local rangatahi about Māori heritage. Ms Sutherland said around 30 young volunteers were involved this year in the making of the event, giving them the opportunity to learn more about Māori history. "It's really inclusive, and it allows everybody to be involved and learn. So, through that it brings diversity and respect for other cultures," Ms Sutherland said. Leading up to the big day, the event has strung together a network of groups eager to contribute such as the local primary and secondary schools, Te Kakano Trust and the Mana Tahuna Trust which provides support for migrant communities in the lakes district. The seven kapa haka groups performing are from across the region, including groups from Wānaka Primary School, Hāwea Kindergarten and Matariki Tupu Hou, an inclusive group of young and adult performers. Chairman of the Mana Tahuna Charitable Trust Darren Rewi will be doing Māori storytelling relevant to the Lakes region. "Because we're surrounded by the mountains, the arrival of Puanga, which is another star, is what the local tribe used to focus on rather than the Matariki constellation because it sits so low," Mr Rewi said. He highlighted the importance this knowledge has for all attendees, especially young people and the immigrant community. The Matariki or Pleiades constellation holds a special place in many indigenous cultures and Mr Rewi believed this presented a unique opportunity to bring together different ethnic groups across the whole region. "What we find is that a fair amount of people that listen to those stories are overseas visitors," he said. "It gives them an understanding of why New Zealand is celebrating Mātariki and why it's worthy of a holiday." As well as enjoying the new year, the event also aims to represent the values of this holiday, which includes honouring the past, celebrating the present and having hope for the future. Despite the growth of this celebration over the years, the event has managed to maintain respect for the environment and uphold the principles of Matariki. "We don't want this event to be commercialised or about stuff," Ms Sutherland said. "It's about people and place." Set to take place at the Dinosaur Park from 2pm, the celebration will also include a weaving workshop, a lakefront bonfire and a community waiata from 5:30pm.
Otago Daily Times
9 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Youth involvement increased in honour of Māori Queen
A cosy bonfire set up by the Kahu Youth Team for Matariki. PHOTOS: RAWAN SAADI Young rangatahi were the stars of this year's annual Wānaka Matariki celebration, as hundreds of locals gathered to enjoy the festivities. For the 16th year in a row, Kahu Youth delivered a successful Matariki celebration across Wānaka's lakefront, complete with seven kapa haka groups, a hangi and a beachfront bonfire. The day started at 2pm with performances, while a team from the Mt Aspiring College (MAC) cultural committee helped prepare the hangi at the Wānaka Dinosaur Playground. Local Paul Tamati, who was heavily involved with the organising the hangi, said that year they had involved more young people to honour the Māori Queen, Kuini Nga Wai Hono i te Po. "These are our young people of today coming forward to learn hangi," Mr Tamati said. " ... We see it as a representation of who their new Māori queen represents." The Mt Aspiring College cultural committee (from left) Jacob Fielding, Joseph Combe, Ethan Prince, Isaiah Chin-Nyika, Lucas Parry and Eli McArthur. Joe Miller and Axel MacDougall help prepare the hangi. He added that the Māori Queen had made it clear in her maiden speech that she would represent rangatahi, and Matariki was a perfect opportunity for the Wānaka community to contribute to that sentiment. The hangi was certainly a crowd favourite, as dozens of people lined up to purchase a plate after the group of MAC students helped to prepare the food. The day was also filled with performances from locals of all ages, including the Hāwea Kindergarten, Wānaka Primary School and the community waiata group, Matariki Tupu Hou. Weaving workshops, face painting and a beachfront bonfire also brought people together and were made possible by rangatahi volunteers from Kahu Youth, further involving the town's young people. Kahu Youth youth worker Imogen Smith spoke passionately about the importance of being able to have a big event that showcased Māori heritage for the local community. Community group Matariki Tupu Hou performs a haka. Having grown up in Christchurch, she felt Māori culture in a city could often be more accessible to young people as there were larger populations and therefore more Māori communities, in comparison to small towns where the same heritage could be more sparse. "This event is really important to bring te ao Māori to a small community and creating that accessibility for rangatahi and the community in general," she said. Local kamatua and chairman of the Mana Tahuna Charitable Trust Darren Rewi had come from Queenstown to celebrate with the community and expressed how the performances by young kapa haka groups made the event more special. "The children doing kapa haka always brings people in and it's a relaxing way to celebrate the Māori new year," he said. As the sun set and the star constellations began to appear in the sky, the event's busy activities ended with the community coming together to sing a group waiata.
