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Māori News Mama, Whanganui (2025)

04/08/2023

Would not have thought in April that I’d be doing this!!! Leaving home today to begin my journey to China! 🇨🇳✨

Super excited to be a finalist in the North Asia CAPE programme, heading over to Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou for 8 days to meet with big wig companies across various industries to pick up some new skills to bring home! 💕

Once we land on Sunday, we will make our way to the Great Wall of China! 😍

Feeling very grateful and excited and a little nervous and apprehensive as it’ll be the longest I’ve been away from my boys ever! Can’t wait to eat all the things 🥟🍜🍚

03/08/2023

Very excited to be speaking at this year’s Huihuinga Wahine Summit in Tāmaki! ✨

Link below for ticket info 💕

01/08/2023

My new business cards ✨

Taking feedback and tips x

26/07/2023

Back to Pōneke today for a new policy announcement by Te Pāti Māori 📣

Sacha and I are working on a story for Marae TV about the party and how they’re looking heading into the elections in October 🗳️

It’s always a privilege being able to get kānohi ki te kānohi time with politicians and being able to ask them things I want to know! Mouri Ora e te Iwi, happy Thursday.

25/07/2023

I really wish this Anti Co-Governance Tour would just stop already 🙄

Co-governance has been turned into a ugly word, but it’s not scary at all - this is how I see it:

It’s about having people who have lived in a place for 800+ years being part of making decisions about that place and community alongside those who currently live there.

If you go to a new city to say go fishing, who would you ask about the best fishing spot? Another tourist? Or an old school local? 🎣

Māori aren’t trying to take over. We have been shut out of decision making about our homelands for generations. And how is that working out? Paru rivers. Poverty. A money-driven world.

Don’t take the bait from this kaupapa. It’s racism and Māori hate that is no good for any of us. Let’s work together. Let’s move forward and shape a better future for our kids, together 🌸

-governance

18/07/2023

The media scrutiny of Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau is worth raising an eyebrow at.

First, it’s headlining news that she had a few drinks at a bar in Wellington and left before paying, returning the very next morning to settle the bill.

Now she’s in the news spotlight again for bringing her dog to work. So not a big deal and has no impact on Wellingtonians. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Fair to say that Māori women in positions of leadership are often held to a much higher standard by news media, and are dragged over the coals for a lot less than their white male counterparts 😒

I’ve seen this a lot in my career. It’s as if some reporters hear a story and go “oh yes that’s what Māori women are like” and because that is their deep down view, they go hard on the story.

We need cultural training in our news organisations so bias like this can’t keep creeping in.

18/07/2023

The first shoot I went on for Marae, some guys in a van drove past hollering and being pōrangi while I was trying to do a piece to cam! My instincts kicked in and I ended up ripping them the finger and telling them where to go 😬🤭

Next minute, my editor and team in Tāmaki review the footage and catch me out, having to give me a little talking to about not doing that in future.

Lesson - when the camera is rolling, the team in Tāmaki will see and hear it all! Like this little gem Glen sent me this morning 😆🤪

18/07/2023

It’s really depressing seeing political parties like National and Act roll out the ‘tough on crime’ and anti-Māori sentiment and the sad thing is that it’s only going to ramp up as we head into elections. Happens every time. Take care these next few months whānau 🦋

14/07/2023

I forgot to highlight how the past year has been a big one in terms of understanding my hinengaro and caring for my mental health. 🌸

I always assumed it was my fast deadline-based mahi that made me think a million things constantly but turns out it’s a bit more than that.

A year ago we got to a very low point, forcing us to get some help which lead me to start taking medication for my overthinking and rather anxious brain! 🧠

It’s been a true blessing for my wellbeing getting this much needed support and it’s been really cool learning more about how my brain ticks and feeling confident in who and how I am. 🥰 There’s zero shame here xx

13/07/2023

It has been a full on and wonderful past year beginning with a career change with me leaving my Comms role with the Iwi and getting back into my calling which is journalism and storytelling, making the move to Marae TV 🥰🥰🥰

The past year has also been underpinned by my desire to reconnect with and do more for my Marae Koriniti, working my way from the tea towels to the pae and loving every steep and satisfying learning curve along the way.

My boys are bigger and while I might not be the most disciplined or consistent parent, I love hard and they still shout out many “I love you”‘s from their moenga every night. They’re growing in their Māoritanga through the care of TKKM o Ātihau on the banks of our river.

I’m also proud of my commitment to my health also shedding a decent 20kg since this time last year 💪🏽

Ngā mihi o te tau hou Māori e te Iwi e! 🌟

13/07/2023

Going through a kura-a-Iwi in Whanganui in the late 90’s meant I was fortunate enough to learn about Matariki and Puanga from a young age.

We would have an overnight noho at kura in the early 2000’s, waking up at the earliest of hours to stargaze and recite our ruruku and sing waiata.

It was always freezing and cloudy, but I distinctly remember the way the clouds would almost always part for us, revealing our Whetu piataata i te rangi 🥰

Glorious memories and so exciting to see and feel the rest of the motu learning more and appreciating this very special time.

I wrote an opinion piece for The Guardian in 2020 when Aotearoa announced a Matariki public holiday which shares some thoughts about how important this all is for our nation as we move forward together 🌟

11/07/2023

“This is the first time I have visited my marae, and the first time I’ve been to a marae full stop. Um, so it’s been a pretty big deal for me.”

“When I was younger I definitely think I was like, I’m not that Maori. I grew up mostly with my pakeha mum, so very disconnected from the culture and I guess I always felt a little bit white washed, or like I wasn’t Maori enough to claim the title, or to be from here.”

“I don’t know my pepeha for example, stuff like that. I feel like I was saying before I guess about not feeling Maori enough and coming into a space where there are alot of people that feel how I do but there are also lots of people who feel their whole world has been to ao Maori, and that can be quite intimidating. But I feel like everyone has welcomed me home and that has been so nice.”

My last story covered a stunning trip to Koukourārata in Banks Peninsula where we talked about what it means to go home to the pā and what holds some of us back 💕

05/07/2023

“The beehive is the greatest tool of the pākehā that we can utilise to improve outcomes for our people!” 📢

For those on the Māori roll in Ikaroa-Rawhiti, here’s the new Labour candidate seeking your vote this October!

As we head into elections, I’m thinking about what stories to do that will help our communities make informed decisions about who to vote for! 🗳️ ✅

What do you wanna know? What would help you make a decision?

01/07/2023

I shouldn’t have been so nervous applying for my visa to visit China! Had all these ideas about a lengthy interview but actually it was like 8 minutes at a desk in a room full of people handing over documents 🤭 Piece of cake!

27/06/2023

Before my Nanna McLachlan died in 2020, I recorded several interviews with her on my recorder, wanting to capture her story and her own reflections of the 94 years she had lived in Whanganui - more than 70 of those years married to my grandad Don.

She shared stories about living through the depression and having nothing, the love she had for her family, her hand made wedding outfit, and stories about my Dad and his siblings growing up.

She died pretty quickly after those interviews and I haven’t been able to listen back.. until just recently. The day I finally listened back, I dreamt of her that evening - she was swimming in the sea and full of joy. It made me think she was probably encouraging me to do something with the recordings. Or at least listen.

I had them transcribed today. It brings back lots of emotions listening to her again. Treasured memories I’m just so lucky I had the foresight to collect.

She always wanted be a journalist, but it was a different time back then. I’ll do something with your story Nanna. Promise x and thank you x

22/06/2023

Which glasses are we thinking whānau? 🤓 I’m sitting here realising it’s the last day of kura and next fortnight is school holidays. Lord give me strength 🙏🏽 Amene 😬🫠💀

22/06/2023

Love my Marae TV team and love being able to fly up to Tāmaki to catch up with them as often as I do 💕

We been sussing our election coverage - what do you care about? Want to know more about? Want to see on our show?

Between us all, we’ve got a lot of different backgrounds and life experiences that help shape our programme to reflect our communities.

Good to get a night at my home away from home The Convent in Grey Lynn, an old nunnery!

20/06/2023

Noddies! Most of the time I film my reactions AFTER the interview, which means I ask the talent to stay in place and let me stare into their eyes with different faces to get the shots! 😳🤣

It is always so AWKWARD. Been told I was giving someone “tha creeps” 😂😂😂 I also gotta try to keep my facials at bay, after years working in radio I realise I move my eyebrows a lot and get super animated.

#

Māori News Mama

04/08/2023

03/08/2023

01/08/2023

26/07/2023

25/07/2023

18/07/2023

18/07/2023

18/07/2023

14/07/2023

13/07/2023

13/07/2023

11/07/2023

05/07/2023

01/07/2023

27/06/2023

22/06/2023

22/06/2023

20/06/2023

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