EVENT: 29 SEPTEMBER 2009
Merata Mita as Matu in Utu (1983)
Telling Maori Stories, Writing Maori Characters with Merata Mita, Briar Grace-Smith & Kirk Torrance
in association with Nga Aho Whakaari…
7.30pm, 29th September, The Classic, Auckland
Ka waiho iho e au ki a koutou te moemoea, he mea piripoho ki a au me oku hoa tokomaha i roto i nga tau, ko nga tikanga whai hua o to tatau Maoritanga, ko nga taonga no konei ake nei no tenei whenua kura, kia whakatapua hai koha ki Aotearoa.
I leave you to dream the dream that my many friends and I have treasured through the years, that the potent elements of our culture, those things which belong to this beautiful land, should be preserved as a heritage for New Zealand. – A.T. Ngata
Esteemed activist, filmmaker and mentor Merata Mita (Bastion Point Day 507, Patu, Mauri, Hotere, Sundance mentor), playwright and screenwriter Briar Grace-Smith (Haruru Mai, Fish Skin Suit, The Strength of Water) & actor and playwright Kirk Torrance of Outrageous Fortune fame (Strata, Flintlock Musket) speak about the dream with writer Kath Akuhata-Brown.
Nga Aho Whakaari is in the process of considering a Maori mark of approval for projects that follow a due procedure when crafting Maori stories. Panelists will frame their discussion around the Maori mark, delving into questions pertinent to both non-Maori and Maori writers – questions of memory, truth, experience and interpretation. This is an opportunity for open dialogue about who can tell which stories, how they can be told – and who they are being told to.
Stay afterwards for pizza courtesy of Nga Aho Whakaari.
Auckland
7pm drinks, 7.30 start, Tuesday September 29th, The Classic, 321 Queen Street, $5 koha.
Some links:
Visit NZ on Screen’s Matariki collection curated by Whai Ngata: a selection of iconic Māori television and film to celebrate Matariki 2009.
‘Nga Pikitia Maori’, the 1987 ’state of Maori film’ doco featuring important interviews with Witarina Harris, Ramai Hayward, Barry Barclay, Wi Kuki Kaa and Merata Mita is also now on NZ on Screen.
Interview with Briar Grace-Smith on writing The Strength of Water
