Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Global March for Palestine Coalition

06 October 2026

TĀMAKI MAKAURAU AUCKLAND – The Global Alliance for Palestine (GAFP) has issued an urgent call for a coordinated Global Day of Action on Saturday, 10 October 2026. In Aotearoa New Zealand, our kaupapa/purpose is to build a landmark demonstration here as part of this worldwide global mobilisation for Palestine, with demonstrations in every major city.

Why does it matter?

This mobilisation marks three years (1,100 days) of Israel's systematic genocide against the Palestinian people. Despite diplomatic language and the fiction of a ceasefire, the bombing of Gaza has not stopped. At least 73,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 18,000 children, and around 70% of buildings in Gaza are damaged or destroyed. In the West Bank, land seizures and forced displacement continue.

Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, the government refuses to act meaningfully against this genocide. This is complicity. The record:

• Silence on illegal land seizures — Even when 22 countries, including Australia, Britain and Canada, condemned the latest West Bank land seizure, New Zealand stayed silent.
• Refusal to recognise Palestine — The coalition had the chance to recognise Palestine alongside Australia, the UK and Canada, but refused, calling it a matter of “when, not if” — then did nothing.
• Blocking sanctions — Chlöe Swarbrick's Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill was denied even a first reading.
• Failure to support the ICJ case — The government does not support South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which centres on Israel's violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza.
• Refusal to ban IDF holiday visas — The government will not alter the Working Holiday Scheme with Israel.
• Ignoring Rocket Lab and Black Sky concerns — The Palestine Solidarity Network of Aotearoa raised concerns with Judith Collins in November 2024; she refused to investigate. On 12 August 2026, Court proceedings were filed in the High Court of Wellington challenging the government’s approval of BlackSky satellites launched from the Rocket Lab site at Māhia, for spying for Israel over Gaza.
• Ongoing military cooperation — The NZDF sent its largest contingent in a decade to RIMPAC 2026, alongside Israel and the US. Denying evidence of illegal abduction and torture — The government has dismissed evidence that Israel illegally abducted and tortured New Zealand citizens and tangata whenua during the Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian mission, including videos posted by Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir himself showing him taunting and abusing detained flotilla participants.

“International law is not optional. On the 10th of October, we the people of the world and here in Aotearoa, demand an end to the violence, complicity and the enabling of a system that fuels on crimes against humanity. New Zealand has the responsibility to stand on the right side of history, and we will hold our elected government accountable.” – Rana Hamida, Media Contact Person, Global March for Palestine Coalition (Tāmaki Makaurau)

Who in Aotearoa New Zealand has answered the call to this Global Day of Action?

More than 23 demonstrations will take place across the motu/nation on October 10th, from Whangārei in the north to Waihōpai Invercargill in the south, making this one of the largest coordinated days of action for Palestine ever seen in this country.

In Tāmaki Makaurau alone, more than 50 organizations have endorsed the Auckland rally and march, which will assemble at 2pm at Te Komititanga / Britomart Square before marching to Albert Park.

The march will have speakers spanning from human rights and social justice organisations, political parties, Palestinian families and performances from local artists.

What are our demands?

• Sanction Israel immediately and isolate the apartheid regime. Introduce comprehensive sanctions now, particularly targeting companies supporting illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This includes imposing an immediate arms embargo, supporting the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement, and backing Chlöe Swarbrick's Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill.
• Uphold international law and end impunity. This includes supporting South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice.
• Recognise the State of Palestine.
• End complicity in military supply chains. Halt the export of surveillance technology and other dual-use goods that aid Israel's military operations, including the launch of BlackSky satellites from Rocket Lab's Māhia site.
• Expel the Israeli Ambassador and stop the diplomatic cover.
• Revoke the IDF holiday visas programme.
• Permit Palestinian families to settle in Aotearoa New Zealand, as was done for Ukrainian families.
• Exit RIMPAC and Five Eyes for a robust, independent foreign policy.

Event Website: https://www.instagram.com/globalmarchforpalestine_nz/

Supported by: 350 Aotearoa, Alternative Jewish Voices, Amnesty International Aotearoa, Ankabayan Aotearoa, Anti War Aotearoa, Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine, Aotearoa Liberation League, Artists for Enrolments, Artists for Others, Asia Pacific Media Network, Asia Pacific Report, Auckland Peace Action, Auckland University Students' Association, Banners for Palestine, Bayan Aotearoa New Zealand, Council of Islamic Organisations of New Zealand, Dayenu: New Zealand Jews against Occupation, Demilitarise Space, Extinction Rebellion, Fiji Centre, Gabriela Aotearoa New Zealand, Global Sumud Flotilla Aotearoa, International League of People's Struggle Aotearoa, International Migrants Alliance Aotearoa, International Socialists Organisation, ISO – University of Auckland, Justice for Palestine, Kaiāwhina, Kia Ora Gaza, Kiwi Muslim Directory, Letters for Palestine, Make Aotearoa Native again, Matika mō Paretīnia, Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand, New Zealand Association of Rationalists & Humanists, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, New Zealand Rotuman Community Centre, Palestine Collective, Palestinian Forum of New Zealand, Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, Pax Christi Aotearoa, Polynesian Panther Party Aotearoa, Preserved Identity, Protect Pūtiki, Quakers, Revolutionary Communists Aotearoa, Stop Wars Aotearoa, Students' Justice for Palestine, Sumud Ensemble, Talanoa TV, Toitū te Aroha, Toitū te Tiriti, Waikato Muslim Association, Whanau Community Hub, Women's International League for Peace & Freedom Aotearoa, Working Students Aotearoa

Source: Workers First Union

Waste Management, New Zealand’s largest materials recovery and recycling provider, is pushing ahead with making 23 rubbish truck drivers redundant and re-engaging 17 of them as owner-drivers.

Justin Wallace, Workers First organiser, says that the Auckland drivers who work for WM New Zealand will go from employees with job security, guaranteed hours, minimum wage protections, holidays, KiwiSaver contributions, a union and the right to bargain collectively, to “sham” contractors with no job protection or work rights, and a massive financial debt to the company to buy their rubbish truck. Mr Wallace said that buying the trucks would mean expected debts of “hundreds of thousands of dollars” for workers.

“This is a predatory scam enabled by the Government’s destruction of work rights through the Employment Relations Amendment Bill,” said Mr Wallace. “The councils around the country who tender services to WM New Zealand should be aware that this is how the company is planning to operate elsewhere, because we believe it will have major impacts on service delivery.”

“Waste Management are telling drivers they’re out of a job unless they can front up to buy their own garbage truck and pretend to be a contractor with their own business.”

“Drivers will be individually responsible for maintaining, repairing and upgrading their rubbish truck under the false pretence that they can use it for other business.”

“In reality, drivers will be working solely for Waste Management and their truck will wear that same brand and logo while they drive the same shifts they always have.”

“Having to give up your right to things like sick leave, guaranteed hours of work and collective bargaining just to stay in your job is not an acceptable trade-off.”

Joseph Allan, local board member for Manurewa, said he is concerned about how the trucks will be maintained and where the trucks will be parked overnight.

“It’s one thing to have courier vans parked all over our residential streets, but nobody wants a stinky rubbish truck parked outside their house,” said Mr Allan.

“What happens if the driver is sick? A big company might have spare trucks, a workshop, excess drivers. You lose the economy of scale.”

“Redundancies at a large company like this could lead to worse services for council ratepayers.”

WM New Zealand holds a 10-year contract with Auckland Council for kerbside collection in parts of Auckland. The current restructure pertains to East and South (Pakuranga to Manurewa), but the company has already restructured in the same way in other areas despite consistently negative feedback during consultation with drivers.

The union has contacted Auckland Regional Council and believes the company did not consult with the council about these changes, despite their contract having been awarded on the basis of their operation being set up to reliably and efficiently provide the services.

“We believe that services will suffer as a result of the company going from one large, cohesive business to a collection of tiny, separate ‘businesses’,” said Mr Wallace.

“Drivers will have to individually find cover when they are sick or want to take annual leave, whereas the already company had a pool of drivers available for these scenarios.”

“Auckland is a densely populated city, and the last thing Aucklanders want is rubbish sitting on the street uncollected because we no longer have a reliable system.”

Mr Wallace said WM New Zealand’s “dodgy” plan was part of a wider trend in the waste and recycling industry away from decent jobs to contractor status. He said that Enviro NZ has already adopted a similar proposal.

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Firefighting operations have ceased for the night at Walter Peak, where a vegetation fire has been burning since this morning.

Assistant District Commander Nic McQuillan says that a significant area of fire has been extinguished this afternoon thanks to the efforts of firefighters and helicopter pilots, but the fire is not yet contained or controlled.

The main area of active fire is around McKinlays Creek, east of the Walter Peak homestead. Conditions remain windy with norwesterly winds forecast to continue tomorrow with some light rain likely in the afternoon.

The most recent aerial reconnaissance showed the size of the fireground had increased from about 146 hectares to about 390 hectares.

People will continue to see signs of fire and smell smoke overnight. Those in areas affected by drifting smoke, including Hanleys Farm and Jacks Point, should keep doors and windows shut to avoid exposure to the smoke.

Both ground and air operations will resume in the morning, with up to 15 firefighters supported by three helicopters with monsoon buckets, and a fourth helicopter used for directing the air attack.

Nic McQuillan says watercraft should stay well offshore from Walter Peak tomorrow when helicopters resume flying, so they do not interfere with the aircraft filling their monsoon buckets from the lake.

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Firefighting operations are continuing at Walter Peak, where a large vegetation fire is burning on steep slopes above the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

Fire and Emergency Assistant District Commander Nic McQuillan says about 25 firefighters and incident management support personnel are involved, supported by six helicopters. There are three areas of active fire. The fire is not contained, but efforts to protect the Walter Peak homestead and other buildings in its vicinity have been successful.

Firefighters from Queenstown, Frankton, Glenorchy and Mossburn are working on the western flank to consolidate the perimeter. They and the air attack will continue working until sunset, when operations will be suspended overnight.

Firefighters and aircraft will recommence work tomorrow morning. People should expect to see signs of fire overnight and into tomorrow.

Boat operators including people in private watercraft should stay well away from the Walter Peak Station shore where helicopters are filling monsoon buckets.

As the fire is still travelling quickly downwind it is feeding on patches of vegetation, which is causing smoke to intensify as it moves through those areas. Smoke will continue to drift across the lake towards Jacks Point and Hanleys Farm, so people in areas affected by the smoke should keep doors and windows shut to minimise their exposure.

At 3pm the fire was mapped at 146 hectares with a perimeter of almost 6km. Nic McQuillan says it has increased since then.

Source: Office of the Ombudsman

The Office of the Ombudsman has published new guidance on official information and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for requesters, agencies and complainants.

Chief Ombudsman John Allen says the increasing use of AI is reshaping the way information is accessed, interpreted and understood.

“Ministers and public sector agencies have told us there has been a significant increase in the number of people using AI to make information requests. Our investigators are also seeing an increasing number of complaints that appear to have been generated by AI.

“This is putting pressure on the entire official information system.

“There are some benefits in using AI, but it must be used responsibly. Our guidance offers practical advice to help all parties get the most out of AI, while avoiding some of the common problems that can occur.

“If you’re a requester, be clear, concise and focused about the information you really want. If you’re not sure how to describe it, calling the agency and talking to officials will always be a good option to get through the request process quickly.

“Agencies are responding to a high volume of information requests. In the last financial year, central government agencies (excluding Police and Defence which are reported separately) completed over 87,000 information requests.

“Straightforward requests will ensure that the Minister or government agency will be able to understand the exact nature of the information you’re looking for and quickly respond.

“The key is to use AI responsibly and don’t rely on it entirely for accurate advice. It can make mistakes and refer to legislation, cases and obligations that don’t exist.

“If requests are very large, wide-ranging or complex, there’s a high chance the response will be delayed, and requests could also be refused under certain provisions of the Official Information Act.”

The guidance also gives tips for agencies on how to deal effectively with official information requests made using AI.

“Using AI can be helpful, for example, in preparing a first cut of a response especially around identifying relevant information and proposing possible redactions,” Mr Allen says.

“It may save time, free up resources and make the information available to a requester more quickly.

“Ultimately, however, the human element in this process is vital. Ministers, government agencies and local authorities remain accountable for any decisions made on official information requests regardless of the technology they use to assist their decision.”

There is also guidance for people using AI to make complaints to the Ombudsman.

AI can improve access for complainants who need help constructing or expressing their concerns. However, it can also make complaints overly complex, emphasise small insignificant details, and add information that is not accurate, or relevant.

“This can be challenging for our investigators because some of these complaints can lack focus, making them time-consuming to progress,” says Mr Allen.

“Complainants should state clearly who and what they are complaining about and the outcome they are seeking.”

The guides were developed and informed by best practice advice published by the Ombudsman’s overseas counterparts, as well as feedback from our own staff and agencies.

AI is a developing area, and the guidance will be updated as and when required.

Read the guidance:

• Practical advice on AI for requesters
• Practical advice on AI for complainants
• Advice for agencies on information requests and AI

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is disappointed to see the Public Service Association (PSA) and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) file legal proceedings with the Employment Relations Authority regarding Fire and Emergency’s organisation structure changes.

“We have undertaken significant engagement with the unions on the reasons for change over recent months since we accepted the March determination of the Employment Relations Authority,” Acting Chief Executive, Darryl Purdy says.

“It was our view that the engagement process had reached a stage where the key issues had been identified, discussed, and considered by all parties.

“While we have genuinely sought consensus with our unions, there is a fundamental disagreement with some of the unions as to whether any structure change should take place at all,” Darryl Purdy says.

“We now consider it appropriate to move forward, taking into account both the feedback received, and the organisation’s assessment of the changes required.

“We are also acutely aware of the impact this prolonged process has had on our people, who have been telling us clearly that they need to see a conclusion to the change process begun nearly eleven months ago,” he says.

“This latest ERA challenge is further slowing down an already protracted change process for our people and continuing to leave them in a position of uncertainty.

“We recognise the ERA will now be considering the case put forward by the PSA and NZPFU and we will prepare our responses accordingly. As this is an ongoing case, we will not be providing any further comment at this time.”

Source: Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand

AOTEAROA, NEW ZEALAND – With one week to go until Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 during 12–18 October, the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (MHF) is calling on people across the country to take simple, intentional steps to foster connection in their everyday lives.

This year’s theme, Belonging Matters, shines a light on how small, regular moments of inclusion can reverse rising loneliness and build stronger, more resilient communities.

The call to action comes alongside concerning research showing loneliness has increased over the last decade. Over 572,000 adult New Zealanders now experience regular loneliness. At the same time, rates of mistrust are increasing with global data showing seven in ten people feel hesitant to trust those with different backgrounds or values. Yet recent findings show that New Zealanders who report high levels of trust in others have almost double the odds of enjoying good mental wellbeing*.

“The evidence is clear — positive social connection supports wellbeing and helps reduce stress. When connection is missing, loneliness and isolation can become serious risks to people’s health,” says MHF chief executive, Shaun Robinson. “We don't need massive, overwhelming gestures to make a difference. A five-minute kōrero with a friend, checking in on a workmate, or inviting a new neighbour over for a cuppa can change someone's week and rebuild community trust.”

The MHF highlights that creating inclusive spaces is a shared responsibility everyone can contribute to. Grounded in the whakataukī Ko au ko koe, ko koe ko au (I am you, and you are me), the campaign invites all New Zealanders to see, value, and look out for one another.

How to get involved for Mental Health Awareness Week

• Start today by making time for a kōrero, checking in on a mate, or reaching out to someone new in your neighbourhood. Access free downloadable tools, posters, and ideas directly at mhaw.nz.
• Bring the week to life in your workplace, school, or local community by organising an event or running an activity that builds connection. Public events can be listed on the national campaign calendar at mhaw.nz.
• Celebrate the small moments that build connection. Download the Belonging Matters social media stamp from mhaw.nz and share a moment of connection or why belonging matters to you. Tag @mhfnz and use #mhawnz, so your story can inspire others across Aotearoa.

* Research and references: mhaw.nz/research

About Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week has been run annually by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand since 1993. It is a dedicated week for individuals, schools, workplaces, and communities to celebrate and focus on mental health and wellbeing. The campaign reaches hundreds of thousands of people across Aotearoa each year, encouraging positive mental health practices and fostering supportive environments.

Key Data & Insights

• High trust in others correlates with nearly double the odds of good mental wellbeing (Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, 2026).
• Over the last decade, regular loneliness among NZ adults rose from 9.8% to 13.1%, impacting 572,000 people (Health NZ, 2025).
• Loneliness is highest among young adults aged 15–24 (Stats NZ, 2023).
• Only 53% of New Zealanders feel a strong sense of community in their local neighbourhood (Helen Clark Foundation, 2026).

Source: Corban Estate Arts Centre

Gallery Spotlight

Witipū invites us to reconsider a term that has long been used to describe wāhine Māori who are unwavering, formidable, and unapologetically present. Rather than accepting inherited assumptions, this exhibition reclaims Witipū as an affirmation of mana, resilience, wisdom, and the many ways strength is embodied.

Across painting, sculpture, and mixed media, the artists reveal the breadth and complexity of wāhine Māori experience. Here, wāhine emerge as phases of the moon, as kaitiaki grounded in their tūrangawaewae, as holders of whakapapa and mātauranga, as leaders navigating multiple worlds, and as storytellers who reinterpret Māori narratives through the enduring lens of mana wāhine.

Complementing the visual works is an original creative writing contribution by Terri Te Tau ‘Pareaku’s Paddock’. Her text draws together the themes carried within each artwork, creating a narrative that connects the exhibition as a whole and offers another way of understanding the many meanings of Witipū.

This exhibition was first presented at Te Manawa Museum, Te Papaioea by curator, programme developer, and senior audience engagement facilitator Roma Pōtiki. Coinciding with the Toioho ki Āpiti 30 Year Celebration at Te Pūtahi a Toi, this exhibition was part of the symposium programme in June 2026.

Now in Tāmaki Makaurau at the Homestead Galleries, Corban Estate Arts Centre, Witipū brings together artists:

• Erena Baker-Arapere (Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toi Rangātira, Ngāti Raukawa)
• Huhana Smith (Ngāti Tukorehe, Raukawa ki te Tonga)
• Mari Ropata-Te Hei (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangātira)
• Rongomaiaia Te Whaiti (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāi Tahu)
• Terri Te Tau (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne ki Wairarapa)
• Karangawai Marsh (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Maniapoto).

Huhana Smith’s embroidery Rakaunui (2026), framed by Ciaran Banks, is a statement to zoom out and view the bigger the picture, perhaps with a Witipū view. This approach allows more than one kaupapa to be held at once and to coexist while navigating mana thematics [1]. The audience is invited to step between levels and dive into multiple stories in Smith’s installation work Ngutu Tā: He mara kai mo ngā ringaringa pukumai. This might be accessing the work through tracing the handblown glass vessels that contain extra virgin olive oil back to her whenua. Further making connections between the offerings presented on her Tūahū that reference maramataka and the cycles of the mara through her wool weed mat.

Erena Baker-Arapere, Tūmatarau series: Ōtane Terri Te Tau (2026). Image: Sam Hartnett

Erena Baker-Arapere’s Tūmatarau (2026) photographic portraits, powerfully portray the face of each artist in the exhibition. Witipū is a collective of artists whom through wānanga came together developing a connection beyond what the audience can measure in the exhibition. Through this deep learning, the series shows Baker-Arapere responding to maramataka through a profoundly personal reflection of the artists relationship to Hina, capturing light and dark to present each artist’s chosen moon phase. The works drape down the wall in te pō which quickly closes the gap between the portrait and viewer. By weaving together tikanga and technology, Baker-Arapere manifests each artist’s presence in the space [2].

Confronted by Baker-Arapere’s portrait of Korekore Whakapiri namely Rongomaia Te Whaiti, a family resemblance begins to appear. Identity as a construct Te Whaiti has asserted as something that can shift and change using technology and language as a method of expression [3]. This relationship with identity and media leans into her portrait painting Lady with the horns (2026), a whakapapa of mana wāhine. Constructing her great-great-great grandmother from a photograph, Te Whaiti challenges archives of wāhine Māori representation, focusing on mana enhancing sovereignty as a language of identity. Her hands are replaced with strands of hair that trace a DNA and mauri that stretch into our time. The squares liken to data, like codes of information ready to transform into language.

Mari Ropata-Te Hei, Tōhaunui (2026). Image: Sam Hartnett

We learn that Witipū take on more than one form through Terri Te Tau’s short story Pareaku’s Paddock (2026) that weaves together the artists and artworks in the exhibition. As a written work this adds another life cycle to the exhibition through the voice of Te Tau. There are connections that we begin to make that tie each artist together, like Pareaku finds tīrairaka tail feathers that is an ode to Karangawai Marsh’s mate series. However just as you begin to think you can understand the gaps between the words or emotional truth, the reader is quickly redirected [4]. Perhaps affirming that Witipū cannot be defined to any set of conditions or one definition, constantly adapting to change.

Pūrākau contain insights into Māori ancestors and the world around them with every iwi story being one of creation and of whakapapa. Karangawai Marsh uses everyday materials including recycled MDF and cable ties to present the pūrākau of Maui’s pursuit of immortality. Finished with meticulous precision and at an impressive scale, her three tukutuku panels Te Rere a Mate series; Kuaka, Tīrairaka and Mātātā (2026) are a commanding and permanent presence. This series of work leaves no doubt that the tīrairaka spoke up for Hine-nui-te-pō dignifying the threads of mana wāhine in pūrākau that speak to our everyday [5].

The intention of Witipū goes beyond understanding the translation so this text follows the same protocol. In conversation with Mari Ropata-Te Hei during her visit to Tāmaki Makaurau, she emphasised the importance of learning te ao Māori through a visual language. This is the monumental task Witipū as an exhibition takes on. Her artwork Tōhaunui (2026) is made from copper wire intricately constructed into an apron that belongs to someone with bold elegance. She embodies light in between the tangible copper form which asks us to read deeper. The expression ringa tōhau nui then leads from the visual to language, showing the audience how to think about the navigation between tikanga and manaakitanga.

Witipū is the totality of mana wāhine living in every stream of practice through reclamation and empowerment. As a student relearning whakapapa, being shown this perspective recentres my understanding of the multiplicity of wāhine Māori. This exhibition runs until Saturday 10 October at the Homestead Galleries, Corban Estate Arts Centre and can be viewed from Monday to Saturday from 10am until 4pm.

Karangawai Marsh, Te Rere a Mate series (2026). Image: Sam Hartnett

Artists

Erena Baker-Arapere (Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toi Rangātira, Ngāti Raukawa)

Erena Baker-Arapere is an artist and senior lecturer in Māori Visual Arts at Toioho ki Āpiti, Massey University. Her photography practice explores portraiture and commemoration through tikanga Māori, considering the medium's role within customary ritual and contemporary Māori experience. She is also a member of Mataaho Collective, producing large-scale fibre installations.

Karangawai Marsh (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Maniapoto)

An artist and lecturer in Māori Visual Arts at Toioho ki Āpiti, Massey University. Karangawai's practice centres language revitalisation, mana tangata, and intergenerational knowledge through visual arts and cultural transmission. Karangawai also founded RaRau Mai, a full immersion arts programme for Māori-speaking whānau.

Mari Ropata-Te Hei (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangātira)

Mari Ropata-Te Hei is a senior lecturer in Māori education programmes at Toi Kura, Te Pūtahi a Toi – Massey University, and a BMVA and MMVA graduate. Her installation practice explores tikanga and manaakitanga on the marae, challenging colonial narratives and honouring collective responsibility.

Terri Te Tau (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne ki Wairarapa)

Fiction writer and artist Terri Te Tau's research is centred around connections between indigenous knowledge systems, speculative fiction and the environment. She completed a PhD in Creative Arts from Massey University in 2015 and is a member of the art collective Mataaho. Terri has been appointed as the Te Herenga Waka—International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) and Creative New Zealand Emerging Māori Writer in Residence for 2026.

Huhana Smith (Ngāti Tukorehe, Raukawa ki te Tonga)

Huhana is Professor at College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington. She co-leads multidisciplinary, Māori-led collaborations for freshwater, wetlands/saltmarshes, and climate change concerns with Kuku, Horowhenua. Via indigenous research methods, artistic sensibilities, design, scientific data and mapping technologies, her visuals expand solutions for Te Taiao. She is a member of artist group Te Waituhi ā Nuku: Drawing Ecologies.

Rongomaiaia Te Whaiti (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāi Tahu)

Rongomaiaia is an artist and academic at Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts, Massey University where she holds the position of Kaihautū Toi Māori. Her work engages kōrero tuku iho as a living framework through which to address contemporary cultural, political and artistic discourse. She is a board member of Toi Māori Aotearoa and Footnote New Zealand Dance, and serves on Te Ātinga Contemporary Māori Arts Committee.

Text by Java Bentley, Curator, Homestead Galleries, Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2026

References

[1] Cassandra Barnett, Kura Te Waru-Rewiri, “Huhana Smith Kura Te Waru-Rewiri,” in 25 Years of Toioho Ki Āpiti, ed. Cassandra Barnett and Kura Te Waru Rewiri (Auckland: Massey University Press, 2023), 82.

[2] Cassandra Barnett, Kura Te Waru-Rewiri, “Erena Baker-Arapere Rewiti Arapere,” in 25 Years of Toioho Ki Āpiti, ed. Cassandra Barnett and Kura Te Waru Rewiri (Auckland: Massey University Press, 2023), 264–265.

[3] Cassandra Barnett, Kura Te Waru-Rewiri, “Rongomaiaia Te Whaiti,” in 25 Years of Toioho Ki Āpiti, ed. Cassandra Barnett and Kura Te Waru Rewiri (Auckland: Massey University Press, 2023), 297–299.

[4] Terri Te Tau, “Writing into the Present Moment and into the Unexpected”, workshop presented with Satellites and Spoor Books, Te Tuhi, Auckland, September, 2026.

[5] Karangawai Marsh, conversation with artist, 2022–2023.

[6] Mari Ropata-Te Hei, conversation with artist, 2026.

Huhana Smith, Ngutu Tā: He mara kai mo ngā ringaringa pukumai (2026). Image: Sam Hartnett

Homestead Galleries & Gallery Shop

Monday–Saturday, 10am–4pm. Closed Sundays and public holidays.

2 Mt Lebanon Lane, Henderson, Auckland. 09 838 4455. info@ceac.org.nz. https://www.ceac.org.nz