Launched in 1977, the first multilingual newspaper for Māori and Pacific audiences is now the focus of its own exhibition, highlighting the significant impact it had on Aotearoa at the time.
Mana: Protest in Print, which showcases editions from the newspaper’s operational years, along with interviews with former editors and the whānau of those who have died, opens this weekend.
“As academics have been saying it was like a marae where people come together and meet, converse, share and mobilise ready to articulate for a voice for Māori and Pacific people on this whenua,” associate curator Wanda Ieremia-Allan said.
She said during her work on the exhibition, she gained a deeper understanding of the newspaper’s significance.
“It wasn’t until you actually read the language, you read the words that all these powerful movements really start to speak for themselves and you feel that aroha, you feel the kaha and the words.
“Protest comes in various forms, we have the protests that are happening on the streets, rangatahi happening on the streets. But we also have really subtle forms of resistance.”
Kahutoi Te Manawa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Kinohaku, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rora, Ngāti Apakura, Uekaha), who joined the kaupapa later, discovered her grandmother’s work among the displayed newspaper editions.
“I was going along and reading the articles and I saw my grandmother’s work in one of the first editions, I didn’t know that.
“One of the first editions of my grandmother’s work was noticing a cloak that she made for us as children. It also reminds me of Aka and Aka is a very strong plant that brings together many stories. I look at it as a metaphor that binds together the people, that binds together, the future generations in terms of their stories and what can be told in strengthening our voices.”
0 of 5
She said the newspaper was focused on sharing important information and ensuring those stories are preserved and carried forward.
“It’s the kotahitanga of bringing our stories together because we share the same vibe, we share the resilience. We share our stories. But we’re still here. We are resilient.
“I don’t think this country or the world is ready for the next generations coming up. I honestly believe that.”
Watch the full interview with Donnette Kupenga, the daughter of Mana newspaper’s editor of the Māori section, Vapnierka Kupenga.
