Arapata Hakiwai
Position: Scholar Mātauranga Māori
Tribal affiliations: Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tahu
Qualifications: BA (Hons), MA Māori Studies, PhD candidate
Background
Museum sector experience spanning over a decade. Project managed restoration of Ruatepupuke meeting house, Field Museum 1991-93. Previous positions include Curator Māori, National Museum; Manager Bicultural Operations, Te Papa; and Community Partnerships Manager Māori, National Services.
Arapata has a close involvement with his iwi and is strongly interested in Māori history, mātauranga Māori, and museum-iwi relations. He is currently part of the working group for the newly proposed Kahungunu Arts and Cultural Centre, Hastings.
Huhana Smith
Position: Senior Curator Māori
Tribal affiliations: Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Raukawa
Qualifications: BEd Art and Craft, Bachelor of Māori Visual Art (Hons), Postgraduate Museum Studies, PhD candidate Māori Studies
Background
Practising artist. Environmental project co-ordinator and researcher, Te Iwi o Ngāti Tukorehe Charitable Trust. Previous positions include Concept Leader Tangata Whenua Te Papa; Policy Analyst in Cultural Heritage and Indigenous Issues Unit, Te Puni Kōkiri; and Assistant Lecturer in Māori Visual Culture at Massey University, Palmerston North.
Huhana works closely with her iwi on environmental projects. She is currently working with hapū and iwi of Ngāti Tukorehe on a major long-term wetland and coastal restoration project for charting the journey with her visual PhD: Taonga Tuku Iho - a cultural and natural heritage development model with cross-indigenous dimensions.
Dougal Austin
Position: Curator Mātauranga Māori
Tribal affiliations: Kāti Mamoe, Kāi Tahu, Waitaha
Qualifications: BA Anthropology, Postgraduate Diploma Anthropology, Postgraduate Diploma Museum Studies
Background
Over ten years' museum experience, including (1992-94) internship at Otago Museum in Māori and Pacific Ethnology, and (1994-2003) Māori Collection Manager, Te Papa.
Dougal has strong interests in iwi history and archaeology. Current interests include customary stone working, including pounamu (greenstone) carving.
Awhina Tamarapa
Position: Curator Māori
Tribal affiliations: Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Pikiao
Qualifications: Bachelor Māori Laws and Philosophy, BA Anthropology, undertaking MA Museum Studies
Background
Over ten years' museum experience. Previous positions for Te Papa include Concept Developer Māori, Collection Manager Māori.
Awhina is currently facilitating an ongoing collaborative Te Papa/iwi project - customary toki (adze) making, with expert Dante Bonica, Ngāti Hinewaka and Ngāti Toarangatira. Interests include toki-making and weaving.
Matiu Baker
Position: Curator Māori
Tribal affiliations: Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Hinetuhi, Ngāti Kaitangata (Taranaki), Ngāti Rahiri (Taranaki), Ngāti Whakaue
Qualifications: BA Political Science
Background
Six years working in various capacities at the National Library of New Zealand including Library Assistant, working in the Māori Team; curator/coordinator for the Rangiatea Exhibition and subsequent publication and website; the Te Rauparaha website online resource; Takawaenga-ā-rohe (iwi liaison); Ngāti Toa Project Research, researching unpublished documents and manuscript materials relating to the Ngāti Toa Rangatira tribe.
Matiu remains actively interested in examining the documented history of the Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, and Te Ati Awa tribes and is presently assembling existing manuscript materials to present the documented history of the Ngāti Toa Rangatira as recorded by their tupuna. Matiu’s other interests include whakapapa (genealogy) and family history, whakaahua tawhito (early photography), tā moko (skin decoration), and other forms of body modification and enhancement.
Moana Parata
Position: Collection Manager Māori
Tribal affiliations: Ngāti Toarangatira, Te Atiawa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Mutunga
Background
Ten years museum experience. Data Cataloguing Māori Collections and the Bird/bone collections for Natural Environment, Assistant Loans officer, member of Day 1 Exhibitions Installation Team, Assistant Collection Manager.
‘My role as a kaimahi (employee) of Te Papa includes working with whanau, hapū and iwi throughout the motu (island). Maintaining and looking after what we have and assisting our people is what we are here for.’
Oriwa Solomon
Position: Curator Māori (currently on secondment as researcher, Te Papa Repatriation Project team)
Tribal affiliations: Ngāti Toarangatira
Background
Current work: researcher for Repatriation Programme, currently researching toi moko (tattoed, dried human heads) and kōiwi (human remains) from the University of Edinburgh, Liverpool Museum, Perth Museum and Art Gallery in Scotland, Milwaukee Public Museum, and several Australian institutions. The focus of my research is to first identify and then construct profiles of the donors with a view to provenancing the material back to their original locations.