New Zealand
How do you say “token translation in Māori?”
This article was originally published in The Spinoff on 5 March, 2018. One thing I’ve noticed about being a te reo speaker is just how often people assume I can do translations. I’ve had requests to translate proverbs and prayers, lines of songs, ingredients, whole passages of books and even some wedding vows. Sometimes, it […]
MoreGrowing up in Wairoa: A snapshot
I met a couple of kids on the banks of the Wairoa and we got talking. I’d stopped to ask them where the best spots to swim were and they waved their arms wide and told me anywhere along here was good. “Except shit-log,” one of the boys clarified, and they all agreed, pointing […]
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Be a hōhā about your kid’s education
A few years ago, I worked as a quiz writer on a TV show aimed at secondary school kids. Trial runs before the show left us scrambling. The historical questions had been pitched way too high. Some kids weren’t even sure what century the Treaty was signed, let alone the date. As for what each […]
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Veering off the beaten track.
The first assignment that ever captured my imagination at school was to devise a three-week tour of New Zealand. It was the 80s, the era of Top Town, a TV show where teams from different towns showed off what they could do. I knew we had beautiful scenery, but I was convinced that our most appealing places […]
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