• Te Rarawa, Ngāti Porou

  • Ngāruahine, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāpuhi

    Jessica Hinerangi Koroneho Thompson- Carr is a full time aunty, illustrator, and poet. She is one of the editors of Kupu Auaha journal.

  • Ngāti Rēhia, Ngāti Kura, Ngai Tūpoto, Te Waiariki

    Born from the waters of Te Taitokerau and seeded in the mānawa of the Hokianga, Ariana makes her debut as an aspiring writer and poet in this first iteration of ‘Tupu Auaha’. She has shared two pieces that draw on the ocean of emotion that is the human experience, both poems written during a time of deep reflection and remembering. Ariana is often inspired to write as a means of expressing the authenticity of the mind, body, and soul and hopes to encourage such expression in others.

  • He uri tēnei nō Hokianga me Aitutaki
    He Māmā ahau
    Ko Leef te ingoa 
    #Hokiwhenuamai

  • He uri tēnei nō NgāPuhi, Te Rarawa, Te Hikutu, Tau’utu Aitutaki me Naitasiri Viti

    Ko Manawa tōku ingoa

  • He uri tēnei nō NgāPuhi, Te Rarawa, Te Hikutu, Tau’utu Aitutaki me Naitasiri Viti

    Ko Te Ipukarea Talei tōku ingoa

  • Te Patukoraha, Ngāti Te Tarawa

  • Ngāpuhi

  • Ngāpuhi

  • Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Wai

  • Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kura, Ngāti Kauwau, Ngāti Rēhia

    Moana is a takatāpui kairaranga, kairangahau, and grateful mokopuna of Tai Tokerau. When they are not having a tutu with a camera, harvesting harakeke, or driving to wānanga, Moana enjoys dreaming up queer little poems. Find them @zoemoana.

  • Te Rarawa Kaiwhare

  • Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Wai

    Manaia is a young wahine Māori spoken word poet with a passion for storytelling. She does this as part of the poetry collective, Ngā Hinepūkōrero. Manaia uses spoken word as a platform to bring unspoken mana Māori issues and topics to light, to explore and expand her own creativity and identity within her culture and to bring that into the classroom.

  • Ko Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Kaha ōku iwi

    Kauri is a wahine Māori exploring the realms of mahi toi. She dabbles in raranga, taonga pūoro making and playing and now a bit of poetry. However, her greatest love is for hue. Growing them from her māra in Avondale and Nan’s Garden in Te Kao. She then transforms them into different taonga pūoro or personifications of our Atua, Hine-pū-te-hue. This latest poetry piece speaks to her aroha for her hue.

  • Ngati Hine, Ngati Wai, Te Kapotai, Ngapuhi Tonga, Pukapuka

    Bella Rose is a creative tutu and has dabbled in silversmith and pounamu jewelry, nga mahi o te whare pora and whakairo. She is based on the Northeast coast where her whanau is from Whananaki and Matapouri. She is currently completing the Taiohi Taioha program supported by Toi Ngapuhi this year and is in her first year of the Maunga Kura Toi Bachelors of Maori Art, Level 5 Whakairo. She explores purakau about her tupuna and draws inspiration from them and the connection that we have as Maori to our environment and each other.