KUPU News

Next month, KUPU Māori Writers Festival will bring acclaimed authors and exciting new talent from across the motu to Rotorua on 17–18 October. The festival will be closely followed by the Pikihuia Awards, held at Te Puia on Sunday 19 October for the first time in their history.

This year, KUPU will have a full day of te reo Māori on Friday, with esteemed translators and authors including Hana Mereraiha, who has worked with artists including Tim Finn and Lorde on Waiata/Anthems, as well as the te reo Māori version of The Lion King. Hana will be joined by Hēmi Kelly, creator of Everyday Māori; Dr Vincent Olsen-Reeder, poet, author, songwriter, and translator; and Dr Kārena Kelly, kaiako, translator, and researcher.

Friday’s line-up also includes Dr Poia Rewi, a leader in Indigenous language revitalisation and whaikorero; Dr Hona and Dr Taiarahia Black; Hana Tapiata, author of Atua Wāhine; Te Haumihiata Mason ONZM; Donovan Farnham, author of Whānau; Tukiterangi Curtis, taiaha grand master and author; Dr Atakohu Middleton; and Matariki Bennett, who will be speaking in a special session at the iconic St Faith’s Church of Ōhinemutu where her koro, Rev. Frederick Augustus Bennett, became the first Māori Bishop in Aotearoa’s history. Matariki is a performance poet and author of e kō, nō hea koe. 

KUPU will move from Ōhinemutu to Whakarewarewa on Saturday morning with a whakatau in honour of poineering Māori scholar, Mākereti (Maggie) Papakura by Tūhourangi. Mākereti, the first Indigenous woman to study at the University of Oxford, is posthumously receiving her degree from the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography this year—100 years after studying there.

Mike McRoberts, TV journalist and author of Speaking My Language Te Kōrero i Tōku Reo, will kick off Saturday’s sessions, opening up about his experiences of reconnecting with te ao Māori and his language journey. 

Saturday will be bilingual, featuring a session on Whakaora with Tracy Manu, Hira Nathan, and Dr Hinemoa Elder; a kōrero with award-winning fiction writers Airana Ngarewa and J. P. Pomare; a screenwriting panel with Karen Te Ō Kahurangi Waaka, Hamish Bennett, Tim Worrall, and Ramon Te Wake; a session with creative writing extraordinaires Qiane Matata-Sipu, Paula Morris, and Stacy Gregg; a kōrero from Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku, winner of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2025 for her memoir, Hine Toa; and finally, a panel with publishers who champion Māori voices in Aotearoa.

The festival will finish with the annual Gala Dinner, featuring distinguished chefs Kārena and Kasey Bird, who will prepare a dish live for attendees, as well as performances by MOHI, Matariki Bennett, and a renowned kapa haka team. Speakers will include Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku, Dr Monty Soutar. Further special guests are yet to be announced.

Ruakiri Fairhall, the new organiser and kaihautū for KUPU, is keen to  bring a fresh, creative take to the festival while honouring the old. 

‘There are so many kupu within the whakaario of our wharenui, but those kupu may not be understood by many. To bring multiple kupu experts; bringing their stories to life within the bosom of our ancestral houses, makes this a unique space of wānanga and engagement. KUPU helps to bring the stories of our carved wharenui to life.

We have a few new mediums of writing this year; this includes our screenplay writers and producers, poets, and composers. We are bringing the story of recipes to life with the Bird sisters for the Gala Dinner, and we can expect our very first te reo Māori day, which is quite exciting.’

Tickets for KUPU festival and the Pikihuia Awards are now available from kupu.org.nz