default-output-block.skip-main
National | Creative New Zealand

Ko tā Witi Ihimaera he whēke ki te kawe i ngā kaupapa Māori

Ko ia te kaituhi Māori tuatahi ki te whakaputa pukapuka o ētahi pūrākau poto, pukapuka pūrākau roa hoki.

He tohu anō ka tuia ki te tātua o Witi Ihimaera, arā, ko te Tohu a te Pirimia mō Ngā Whakatutukinga ā Tuhi.

Tekau mā ono ngā pukapuka, e whitu ngā kohikohinga pakiwaitara, e whā ngā kiriata, e toru ngā whakaari tā Witi Ihimaera.

Tā Ihimaera o Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Rongowhakaata, Te Whānau a Kai me Ngāti Porou, "E mea ana ētahi, ehara i te mea me nui te kōrero, ko te kaupapa kē te mea nui."

Engari ehara i te mea kua mutu ana mahi i ko, he pukapuka reo-rua hou a 'Sleeps Standing' kua tuhia ngātahitia e ia me Hemi Kelly, me te tumanako ka ora tonu ngā kōrero a te Māori.

"Koia pea tēnei te tuatahi, engari mēnā kāhore e pai ana tēra. Ēngari mēnā ko ia te tuatahi, he tauira pea tēnei mō te ao tuhituhi e haere ake nei."

He maha ngā taonga kua whakawhiwhia e Ihimaera, ināianei, tokotoru katoa ngā kaiwhiwhi taonga hou, ā, ka tuku i te ono tekau mano tāra ki a rātou anō mō tā rātou whakapau kaha ki ngā mahi tuhituhi i Aotearoa nei.

"Ko au te tuatahi o ngā kaituhi Māori, ēngari ehara i te mea he pai au, ko au anahe i aua taima rā. Heoi anō, mai i taua wā kua whēke au te tutuki i tāku kaupapa, anō o te whakapūmau i ngā kaupapa Māori, kia noho rite tonu ki ngā kaupapa Pākehā."

Hei te tuaiwa o Akuhata ka tū te kaupapa tuku taonga nei ki Te Whanganui a Tara.