Taiwanese people, who may not have a clear idea about the struggle and history of the Māori people in New Zealand, have been given a chance to catch up.
Toitū Te Māori; New Zealand Historical Justice on Screen, a film exhibition, is now showing in Taiwan.
The exhibition features Māori screen works that demonstrate the Māori story to encourage similar conversations for indigenous Taiwanese communities.
Toitū Te Māori. He whakakitenga kiriata kua hangaia e ngā kaihanga kiriata Māori me ērā o Taiwana e hāpai ake ana i te tohe a ngā iwi taketake mō ōna mana tika tangata.
Toitū te Māori is a film exhibition co-curated with Taiwanese and Māori filmmakers highlighting the indigenous plight for justice.
One of the films that will be exhibited in Taipei is the acclaimed biopic Whina. Whina tells the inspirational story of Dame Whina Cooper whose aim of racial equality and land rights culminated in leading a hīkoi over six hundred kilometres, from the top of New Zealand to Parliament in Wellington, to unite Māori pride and Pākehā honour.
Other films in the exhibition are Te Matakite o Aotearoa: The Māori Land March (1975), Bastion Point (1978), What really happened - Waitangi (2011) and No Māori Allowed (2022).
Despite having different historical contexts, Taiwanese and Māori share transitional justice issues.
Nā Kathryn Graham, kaimahi o mua i Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga o Aotearoa, te kaupapa nei i toko ake. Hei tāna, ko te tūāpapa o ngā ataata nei ko te Tiriti o Waitangi
Kathryn Graham, who worked at the NZ Film Commission, assisted in bringing this exhibition together. She says the basis of the five films are centred in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Kua toru tau a Temuera Hall me tana whānau e noho ana ki Taiwan. E whakapono ana ia, ko te whakakitenga nei, he taumata anō hei whakaatu atu i te ahurea Māori, hei āta tirotiro i te huarahi kua takahia, i te huarahi hoki kei mua i ngā iwi taketake katoa.
Temuera Hall and his whānau have been living in Taiwan for nearly three years. He is certain that the exhibition is another way for us to showcase Māori culture, take stock of how far they have come and how far all indigenous people have to go.
Kei te whare pupuri taonga o Jing Mei White Terror te whakaaturanga e whakakitea ana, tae noa atu ki te Maehe hei te tau e tū mai nei.
The exhibition is showing at the Jing-Mei White Terror Museum until March 2025.
