Te Kaituhi / Author I whānau mai a Witi Ihimaera DCNZM, QSM ki Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, ā, he uri nō Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, nō Rongowhakaata me Ngāti Porou. He hononga hoki ōna ki a Tūhoe, ki a Te Whānau-a-Apanui, ki a Ngāti Kahungunu me Ngāi Tāmanuhiri. He kaitakawaenga kāwanatanga, he ahorangi, ko ia hoki tētahi o ngā kaituhi maruwehi e ora tonu ana. Ko ētahi o āna pukapuka maha, ko Pounamu, Pounamu (1972), ko The Matriarch (1985) me The Whale Rider (1987) – i mahia ai hai whitiata rongonui i te tau 2002, i whakamāoritia ai hoki e Tā Tīmoti Kāretu. Kua whakawhiwhia a ia ki ngā tohu maha, tae atu rā ki te Wattie Book of the Year Award, ki te Montana Book Award me te Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement. I te tau 2004, i whakaingoatia a ia hai Distinguished Companion of the Order of New Zealand, ā, i te tau 2017, ka utaina te tohu nei ki runga ki a ia e Paranihi te Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. ________
Witi Ihimaera DCNZM, QSM, was born in Gisborne and is of Te Aitanga-ā-Mahaki, Rongowhakaata and Ngāti Porou descent with connections to Tūhoe, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāi Tāmanuhiri. Diplomat, professor and one of Aotearoa’s most distinguished living writers, his many books include Pounamu, Pounamu (1972), The Matriarch (1985) and The Whale Rider (1987), made into a hugely successful film in 2002 and also translated into Māori by Tīmoti Kāretu. He has received numerous awards, including the Wattie Book of the Year Award, the Montana Book Award and a Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement. In 2004 he became a Distinguished Companion of the Order of New Zealand and in 2017 France made him Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Te Kaiwhakamāori / Translator He uri a Ruth Smith nō Te Tairāwhiti whānui, engari i pakeke mai a ia ki te iwi o tōna koroua, ki a Ngāti Kōhuru o roto o Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki. He Ika-a-Whiro nō Te Panekiretanga o te Reo, he putanga hoki nō Te Toi Reo, kua roa e mahi ana hai kaiwhawhiti reo. Kua mahi a ia hai pouako reo Māori ki Toihoukura: School of Māori Visual Arts, ki Te Wānanga o Aotearoa me Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. Kua mahi hoki a ia hai kaipāpāho mā Whakaata Māori me ngā reo irirangi Māori. He kaihaka, he tonotono hoki a ia ki ōna iwi o te kāenga. E ngākaunui ana a ia ki te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, ā, e whai ana a ia kia whakatairangatia te reo mā roto mai i te whakaako, i te whakawhiti reo, i ngā mahi pāpāho me ngā mahi tohutohu. I tēnei wā e mahi ana a Ruth hai kaiwhakawhiti reo ki Te Pāremata o Aotearoa ki Pōneke.
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Ruth Smith hails from the East Coast but was nurtured by her grandfather’s tribe of Ngāti Kōhuru, Te Aitanga-ā-Mahaki. She holds a bachelor’s degree in te reo Māori with first class honours from EIT. She is a graduate of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo Māori and is an experienced translator with a Te Toi Reo Māori licence. She has worked as a lecturer at Toihoukura: School of Māori Visual Arts, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Awanuiārangi. She has also worked as a broadcaster, presenter and commentator for Māori Television and Māori radio. She is a seasoned kapa haka performer and servant to her people. She is passionate about te reo Māori me ōna tikanga and strives to work to advance the language through teaching, translation, television work and consultancy. Ruth currently works as translator and interpreter for the House at New Zealand Parliament in Wellington.