— it's a complicated issue
Growing up in the Far North, Sam Napia never thought Pākehā would embrace te reo Māori.
The nation coming together to sing the Māori version of the national anthem was beyond his imagination. A stadium of Kiwis performing haka in the stands alongside the All Blacks on the international stage was unthinkable.
But in 2021, Napia, now the chief executive of Te Rūnanga ā Iwi ō Ngāpuhi, sees a break in the clouds.
The indigenous culture of the nation is being pushed to the forefront of our identity. It’s in our presentation to the world, but not in our name, he says.
Link to article and video: Aotearoa, Nu Tīreni, New Zealand — it's a complicated issue | Stuff.co.nz
