The Break You Don’t Take Will Break You

Posted 6:02pm Saturday 26th July 2025

It was the second or third week of uni. I was still riding the high of being the first in my whānau to attend university. With three scholarships under my belt, a double degree ahead of me, and a fresh start away from Whangārei, everyone said I was going to do great things – and Read more...

30 Years Strong: Te Rōpū Māori Marks a Milestone

Posted 1:05pm Monday 14th July 2025

Kiritea Smith, Chair of the 30th Committee – Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pūkenga Porourangi Templeton-Reedy, Co-President of Te Rōpū Māori – Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tūhoe, Tainui Honouring the Past, Celebrating the Present, and Read more...

Don’t Call It a Balancing Act: Med School and the Myth of ‘Equal Opportunities’

Posted 9:48pm Sunday 4th May 2025

Far from home and all he’s ever known, Mikaere Porē-Tipene faces the unrelenting demands of medical school while striving to honour his whakapapa. Balancing academic pressure with the expectations of his iwi, Mikaere must decide what success truly means – and who he’s doing it Read more...

Te Ārohi: A “Critic” in Name Only

Posted 10:05pm Sunday 6th April 2025

This piece was pitched as ‘100 years of Critic’s Māori coverage’. That would’ve been disingenuous. It’s not a centenary for all of us, because for most of that time, we weren’t here.  One hundred years of Critic, and only twenty-nine of Te Ārohi. Read more...

Whebruary Wrapped

Posted 11:47pm Sunday 9th March 2025

While the world recovers from New Year’s sluggishness, Māoridom hits the ground running – protesting, performing, protecting, and proving that mana Māori is as relentless as ever. For Māori, February isn’t just the second month of the year; it’s a battleground, Read more...

Piupiu, Penguin Pelts & Papatūānuku

Posted 8:29pm Sunday 28th July 2024

In a world driven by fast fashion and throwaway culture, it’s not every day that you encounter garments crafted from the skins of freshwater eels, yellow-eyed penguins, and fur seals. That is until you step into ‘Te Whare Pora: House of Learning’, a current exhibition at community Read more...

Pride and Pōhara: Māori cuisine or glorified struggle meals?

Posted 4:23pm Saturday 20th July 2024

Let’s cut the crap. Aotearoa New Zealand loves to brag about ‘authentic’ Māori cuisine like hāngī, boil-up, fried bread, and steamed pudding. But the uncomfortable truth is: these aren’t traditional, authentic Māori dishes. They’re struggle meals Read more...