I te tau 1995 hei whakanui i te Tau o te Reo Māori, i whakarite a Te Minitatanga Mō Ngā Wāhine (ko Manatū Wāhine nāianei) i ētahi hopukanga kōrero mai i ētahi pūkenga wāhine Māori i roto katoa i te reo Māori mō ō rātou ake mātauranga. 

In 1995, as part of the celebration of Te Tau o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Year), the Ministry of Women's Affairs (now Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women) arranged to interview wāhine Māori in te reo Māori in their respective areas of mātauranga.

E tuku mihi atu nei ki a rātou mā kua wehe ki te pō. Nō mātou te maringanui i whai wā ki te noho ki te taha o rātou i te wā i a rātou, hei whakarongo, hei hopu, hei mirimiri i ō tātou taringa ki ngā rōreka o te motu. Ki a rātou kua whetūrangipōtia, moe mai, moe mai, moe tonu mai rā.

Ka huri nei ki a tātou e kanohi ora nei, otirā, ki ngā wāhine toko ake i tēnei kaupapa, tēnei waka huia, ka rere tonu te mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa. 

These interviews encompass sixteen different kaupapa, covering topics of arts, culture, spirituality, language, education, the role of wāhine in society, and government.

These recordings were distributed in 1995 and 2005-6 to libraries, schools and interested individuals.

Please note: these interviews are not available in a recording or transcript in English or any other language. This is to preserve the integrity of the project to celebrate Te Tau o te Reo Māori. 

If you have any pātai about this, contact us

Kaupapa: Te Reo Karanga
Kōrero:
He matapaki mō ngā āhuatanga o te karanga – te taha wairua, te akoako, te reo Māori.
Comment:
A discussion about certain aspects of the karanga – the spiritual side, learning karanga and the importance of the Māori language.
  • Iranui Haig

    Iranui Haig

    Iwi:
    Te Whānau a Ruataupare
  • Heni Sunderland

    Heni Sunderland

    Iwi:
    Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Tāmanuhiri, Te Atiawa
  • Te Rangiaroha Huhana Clarke

    Te Rangiaroha Huhana Clarke

    Iwi:
    Waikato, Taranaki Tūturu, Ngāti Kahungunu
  • Te Ripowai Higgins

    Te Ripowai Higgins

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe
Kaupapa: Te Wahine Tapairu
Kōrero:
Ka kōrerohia ngā āhuatanga o te wahine tapairu – ‘he tūraka mokemoke’ he kaimahi mō te hapori whānui, he tūnga ā-wairua ki ngā tūpuna, tae atu ki te mana o te reo.
Comment:
The role of being the ‘oldest female’ is described as ‘ a lonely position’ working for the community, guided spiritually by the ancestors. They also talk of the importance of the Māori language.
  • Matarena Rau-Kupa

    Matarena Rau-Kupa

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Mutunga, Taranaki Whānui
  • Ismalia Jane Davenport Manahi

    Rt Rev Ismalia Jane Davenport Manahi

    Iwi:
    Kai Tahu, Te Iwi Morehu, Waitaha, Kati Mamoe, Ngāti Toa Rangatira
  • Te Ripowai Higgins

    Te Ripowai Higgins

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe
Kaupapa: Te mauri me te wairua o te reo Māori
Kōrero:
Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori – he matapaki, he wetewete i ngā āhuatanga o tēnei whakataukī me te kōrero anō, ka kore tō reo Māori, he aha koe.
Comment:
The language is the life-force of Māori prestige – the speakers discuss and analyse this proverb and the question, if you have no Māori language, what are you?
  • Miria Simpson

    Miria Simpson

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa
  • Heni Sunderland

    Heni Sunderland

    Iwi:
    Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Tāmanuhiri, Te Atiawa
  • Te Ripowai Higgins

    Te Ripowai Higgins

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe
Kaupapa: Te Reo Māori
Kōrero:
Ka kōrero a Kāterina Mataira, kaiwhakaako, kaimahi toi, kaituhituhi hoki, mō ngā tīmatatanga o te momo ako reo e kīiā ana, ko te mahi rākau, i Whītī. Ka hoki ōna mahara ki a Ngōi Pewhairangi me ngā wānanga reo i whakahaerehia ai e te Kāhui Mātauranga ā-Pakeke mō ngā mano ākonga, kua huri i nāianei hei pouako mō Te Ataarangi.
Comment:
Teacher, artist and writer Kāterina Mataira discusses the origins of the Māori language learning methodology we now know as ‘the rākau method’ which she came across while teaching in Fiji. She recalls the important role of Ngōi Pewhairangi and the Adult Education courses run for hundreds of learners of Māori, many of whom are now Te Ataarangi tutors.
  • Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira

    Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Porou
Kaupapa: Te Kōrero Pūrākau
Kōrero:
Mā te korero pūrākau e maumahara ai ngā tūpuna me ā rātou korero whakakata ā, mā reira hoki e mau tonu ai tō tātau reo Māori.
Comment:
Story-telling reminds us of our ancestors and some of their hard-case stories. It also helps us hold on to the Māori language.
  • Te Kiripuai Te Ao Marere

    Te Kiripuai Te Ao Marere

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa
  • Tawini Rangihau

    Tawini Rangihau

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe, Te Arawa
Kaupapa: Te Ataarangi
Kōrero:
He kaupapa hou Te Ataarangi hei ako i te reo Māori i te kāinga, i te kura me te hapori hoki me te mōhio anō, he rerekē te reo o ia reanga tangata engari, ko te mea nui, kei te kōrerohia tonutia te reo Māori.
Comment:
Te Ataarangi is a new concept for learning the Māori language at home, at school and in the community. Even though the language changes with each generation, it is still being spoken.
  • Kirihou Temara

    Kirihou Temara

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe
  • Rukuwai Daniel

    Rukuwai Daniel

    Iwi:
    Te Arawa, Tuhourangi
  • Tawini Rangihau

    Tawini Rangihau

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe, Te Arawa
Kaupapa: Te Kōhanga Reo
Kōrero:
Ka tipu ake te kōhanga reo hei urupare ki ngā rangahau a te NZCER e mea ana kei rite te ngaro o te reo ki te moa ā, ka kōrerohia ngā tīmatatanga mai i te Hui Whakatauira (1981), tae atu ki ōna painga ki tētahi whaea me tana tamāhine.
Comment:
The kōhanga reo movement emerged as a response to the research of Dr. Richard Benton ( and the fear of the language dying out like the moa bird). They describe its beginnings from the Hui Whakatauira in 1981 and the benefits to one mother and her daughter.
  • Henrietta Maxwell

    Henrietta Maxwell

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Porou
  • Tawini Rangihau

    Tawini Rangihau

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe, Te Arawa
  • Keri Kaa

    Keri Kaa

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou
Kaupapa: Kura Kaupapa Māori
Kōrero:
He patu wairua te mātauranga a te Pākehā ā, ko ngā tamariki Māori te papa. Ka kōrerohia te kaupapa o te mātauranga Māori ki raro i te maru o Te Aho Matua hei huarahi kē mō ngā tamariki e puta mai ana i te kōhanga reo.
Comment:
The Pākehā education system demeans Māori values and our children suffer. An alternative system for graduates of kōhanga reo, one that promotes Māori knowledge, under the guidance of Te Aho Matua, is discussed.
  • Tuakana Nepe

    Tuakana Nepe

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Porou
  • Cathy Dewes

    Cathy Dewes

    Iwi:
    Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou
  • Tawini Rangihau

    Tawini Rangihau

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe, Te Arawa
Kaupapa: Ngā Kaiwhakaako
Kōrero:
Ko ngā huarahi whakaako i te reo Māori te aronga o ngā korero a te tokorua nei. Ko tētahi kei te kura tuarua, ko tētahi atu kei te whare wānanga e mahi ana ā, ka kōrerohia ngā taumahatanga me ngā painga o te whakaako reo.
Comment:
The speakers describe their methods of teaching Māori; one is at a secondary school and the other at a university. The difficulties and benefits are discussed.
  • Hine Tapuarau Delamere Amoamo

    Hine Tapuarau Delamere Amoamo

    Iwi:
    Te Whānau a Apanui, Whakatohea
  • Mereana Hond

    Mereana Hond

    Iwi:
    Taranaki
  • Keri Kaa

    Keri Kaa

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou
Kaupapa: Ngā Ākonga
Kōrero:
Nā te korenga o te reo Māori i te kāinga me te kura, kua kaha ngā wāhine nei ki te ako i te reo i te whare wānanga. Kātahi ka hoki atu ki te wā kāinga ki te tautoko i te whānau, te hapū me te iwi.
Comment:
Due to the absence of Māori in the home and at school, these women are determined to learn the language at university and on graduation, will return to their homelands to support the survival of the language.
  • Kylie Brown

    Kylie Brown

    Iwi:
    Te Aupouri, Ngā Puhi
  • Aneta Rawiri

    Aneta Rawiri

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Rangi, Te Ati Haunui a Paparangi
  • Tawini Rangihau

    Tawini Rangihau

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe, Te Arawa
Kaupapa: Kapa Haka
Kōrero:
Ki ngā wāhine nei, mā te waiata e ora ai te reo Māori, he taonga tuku iho. Ka kōrerohia hoki ngā āhuatanga rerekē ā-iwi o te tū o te wahine ki runga i te atamira.
Comment:
These women believe that by singing the language will add impetus to its survival as a treasure from our ancestors. They also discuss the various tribal stances of women on the kapa haka stage.
  • Tihi Puanaki

    Tihi Puanaki

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Hine
  • Te Rita Papesche

    Te Rita Papesche

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Porou
  • Tawini Rangihau

    Tawini Rangihau

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe, Te Arawa
Kaupapa: Waiata Hou
Kōrero:
Kei ia whakatipuranga wahine ōna ake momo kaiwaiata, momo pūoro hoki.
Comment:
Each generation of women has its own singers and type of music.
  • Ringiringi Manawaiti

    Ringiringi Manawaiti

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Maniapoto
  • Kuini Wano

    Kuini Wano

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe
  • Tawini Rangihau

    Tawini Rangihau

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe, Te Arawa
Kaupapa: Te Tā Pukapuka
Kōrero:
E ai ki te kaikōrero, me Māori tonu te kairangahau i ngā kaupapa Māori ā, mā konā e tika ai ā tātau kōrero, hītori hoki pērā i te ‘Parekura o Wairau’ me Te Rauparaha.
Comment:
The speaker declares that researchers of Māori history should be Māori. Only then will the true stories be told – such as the ‘ Wairau Massacre” and Te Rauparaha.
  • Hepora Young

    Hepora Young

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Tuara, Ngāi Kearoa
  • Tawini Rangihau

    Tawini Rangihau

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe, Te Arawa
Kaupapa: Mahi Pāpāho
Kōrero:
Ka kōrerohia ngā pakanga o Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo ki te Karauna kia whai mana ai te reo Māori ki raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi, mā reira e taea ai te whakatū kōtuituinga mahi pāpāho. Ko tētahi o ngā kaikōrero he kaihopu whakaahua, kōrero hoki a ngā kaumātua Māori i roto i te reo Māori anake.
Comment:
The battles of Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo with the Crown to grant official status to the Māori language are discussed and the subsequent Māori language broadcasting network. One of the speakers is the only female Māori television producer, interviewing our old people in Māori.
  • Te Aomuhurangi Te Maaka Jones

    Te Aomuhurangi Te Maaka Jones

    Iwi:
    Kai Tahu, Te Whānau a Apanui, Whakatohea
  • Puhi Rangiaho

    Puhi Rangiaho

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe
  • Tawini Rangihau

    Tawini Rangihau

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe, Te Arawa
Kaupapa: Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori
Kōrero:
Ka matapakina te pūtaketanga o Te Ture Reo Māori me Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori tae atu ki āna mahi hei kaitiaki i te reo, pērā i te hanga kupu hou, te mahi rangahau me ngā tikanga tuhi mō te reo.
Comment:
The origins of the Māori Language Act and the Māori Language Commission are discussed. The Commission’s work on lexical expansion, language research and written conventions for Māori are explained.
  • Anita Moke

    Anita Moke

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāti Paoa
  • Te Ripowai Higgins

    Te Ripowai Higgins

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe
Kaupapa: Kaimahi Kāwanatanga
Kōrero:
Ko ngā wheako o te tokorua nei roto i te rāNgāi kāwanatanga te aronga o ngā korero me te whakaahua i ngā taumahatanga kei mua i te kaimahi wahine i tēnei tū āhua mahi. Me te hiahia anō, kia puta he wahine Māori ā tōna wā hei kaiwhakahaere o Te Puni Kōkiri.
Comment:
The experiences of two senior women in the state sector and the difficulties they face in this high-powered environment. They raise the possibility of a Māori woman heading Te Puni Kōkiri at some time in the future.
  • Topsy Ratahi

    Topsy Ratahi

    Iwi:
    Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Aitanga a Mahaki
  • Hekia Parata

    Hekia Parata

    Iwi:
    Kai Tahu, Ngāti Porou
  • Te Ripowai Higgins

    Te Ripowai Higgins

    Iwi:
    Ngāi Tuhoe