The day the Russians came

The second-oldest collection of Māori artefacts in the world—exceeded only by the one amassed by James Cook—is held in Russia.

These 200-year-old treasures have immense value to iwi at the top of the South Island, whose ancestors traded with Russian explorers. Now, there’s a movement to bring these taonga home. Keep reading...

The unbroken thread

Veranoa Hetet's hands are rarely still. Her weaving stand hasn’t left her living room in years, and on a Saturday morning, after a frantic week weaving to meet a deadline for an exhibition of her work, she’s back preparing strips of harakeke (flax). It’s a repetitive task, running her fingernails along the length of the leaf to remove the midrib, making strips of the same size.

“That, to me, is like taking a day off,” she says.

When she talks about weaving, or about scraping muka (fibre) from the plant, her hands go through the motions. “I just have to do it,” she says. “If I don’t weave or do one creative thing during the day, I feel that my day has been lost.” Keep reading...

How to fix the Marlborough Sounds

"Like many New Zealanders, I’ve been collecting Marlborough Sounds vignettes over many years. A wedding in Lochmara Bay when the lodge there was still a backpackers. A field trip to Maud Island where I got my first sniff of kākāpō feathers. A work trip to tour the Perano whaling station with former whalers. And countless long weekends walking or paddling along a labyrinth of secluded coves and inlets—often with no one else in sight." Keep reading...