Māori Writers Festival Sparks Creativity and Language Revival

The Kupu Māori Writers Festival has returned to Rotorua, New Zealand, for its fourth year, celebrating Māori literature and culture. The festival, which runs for two days starting on March 15, 2025, has sold out, showcasing a diverse group of writers including Patricia Grace, J. P. Pomare, Dr. Monty Soutar, and Dr. Hinemoa Elder. This year, the event features an expanded lineup of “word wizards,” which encompasses poets, composers, publishers, and translators.

Festival Kaihautū Ruakiri Fairhall announced a significant change for this year’s event. One day will be entirely dedicated to te reo Māori, the Māori language, ensuring that all aspects—from the emcee to the writers and participants—are conducted in te reo. Fairhall remarked, “It’s an opportunity for us to ensure that through Kupu, we can bring te reo rangatira to life within these ancestral whare that we host these events to ensure that ancestors get to hear the language that they once spoke when they were alive.”

As the number of Māori writers continues to grow, Fairhall emphasized the importance of creating new content in te reo. He noted, “There’s a really strong focus in translations of pukapuka (books) that are already written predominantly in English, which is great because it ensures that we have an opportunity to keep our language ahead in terms of new terminology or vocabulary that comes into our spaces.” He added, “But we need to create more writers in te reo. We need to write more in te reo from the get-go.”

The festival aims to unite emerging and established Māori writers, fostering collaboration and creativity in both te reo and English. Fairhall expressed his enthusiasm for seeing writers expand their skills to include te reo, while also celebrating all forms of writing, regardless of language. “The population of Māori writers is definitely growing, and they will keep growing. We just need to ensure that we have both languages walk in parallel together to ensure that we don’t let the English language take over the concepts that exist in kupu Māori.”

Writers Retreat Inspires Future Talent

Earlier this year, in mid-August, Kupu hosted a writers retreat at Lake Ōkataina near Rotorua. Fairhall reported that this retreat provided a serene environment for writers to connect without the overwhelm of large gatherings, while still having access to a wealth of talent. A memorable moment from the retreat featured a workshop led by author Shilo Kino, where a young participant, initially reluctant to read, found a book that resonated with her.

“As Shilo passed her book around, this girl picked up the book and never let it down until she got home all the way to Taupō, managing to read 84 pages during the journey,” Fairhall recounted. “Although we may not have created a writer in that young girl, we gave her an opportunity to dive into a pukapuka that she could relate to.”

Fairhall highlighted that both the festival and the retreat serve as platforms for Māori and non-Māori to engage with Māori narratives. “Our kaupapa for Kupu is to celebrate past, present, and future writers. It’s also to create a new generation of Māori writers.” As the festival unfolds, it is clear that the commitment to revitalizing te reo and supporting Māori literature remains a central theme, promising a vibrant future for writers and readers alike.