Māori Writers Festival in Rotorua Aims to Inspire New Talent

Māori writers are converging in Rotorua for the Kupu Māori Writers Festival, which runs from August 18 to 19, 2025. This year marks the fourth iteration of the festival, which has sold out. Esteemed authors participating include Patricia Grace, J. P. Pomare, Dr. Monty Soutar, and Dr. Hinemoa Elder, among others.

Festival director Ruakiri Fairhall expressed excitement about expanding this year’s lineup to feature more diverse talents, including poets, composers, publishers, and translators. Notably, one day of the festival will focus solely on te reo Māori, with all activities conducted in the language. Fairhall described this initiative as a way to celebrate Māori culture and heritage within traditional settings.

“It’s an opportunity for us to ensure that through Kupu, we can bring te reo rangatira to life within these ancestral whare, allowing our ancestors to hear the language they once spoke,” Fairhall stated. His background with Ngāti Tarawhai, Te Arawa, Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau a Apanui, and Ngāti Awa informs his commitment to promoting Māori literature.

There is a notable increase in the number of Māori writers producing works in both English and Māori. Fairhall highlighted the importance of translations for books that are primarily written in English, reinforcing the need to keep Māori language relevant in contemporary contexts.

“We need to create more writers in te reo. We need to ensure that we write more in te reo from the beginning,” he noted. The festival aims to provide a platform for emerging writers to collaborate with established authors who write in te reo Māori, potentially fostering new creative partnerships.

Earlier this year, the Kupu festival hosted a writers retreat at Lake Ōkataina near Rotorua. Fairhall emphasized that the retreat offered writers a focused environment, free from the distractions of larger gatherings. He recounted a memorable moment during a workshop led by author Shilo Kino, where a young participant, initially reluctant to read, became captivated by a book.

“As Shilo passed her book around, one girl picked it up and didn’t let it go until she got home to Taupō, where she managed to read 84 pages,” Fairhall recalled. “While we may not have created a writer in that young girl, we provided her with the opportunity to connect with a book she could relate to.”

The Kupu festival and the retreat aim to create connections between Māori and non-Māori individuals with Māori storytelling. Fairhall underscored the festival’s mission to celebrate both past and present Māori writers while nurturing the next generation of talent.

“Our kaupapa for Kupu is to celebrate past, present, and future writers. It’s also about creating a new generation of Māori writers,” he stated, encapsulating the festival’s goals of promoting cultural literacy and language preservation through literature.

The Kupu Māori Writers Festival continues to play a vital role in the literary landscape, inspiring both seasoned and novice writers to contribute to the rich tapestry of Māori storytelling. As the festival unfolds, it aims to not only celebrate existing talents but also to inspire future generations to engage with their cultural heritage through the power of writing.