Mai i te kei o ngā waka ki te ihu o ngā waka 2018

Mai i te kei o ngā waka ki te ihu o ngā waka is a collection of three separate narrated stories of migration to Aotearoa New Zealand, in particular the suburb of Ōtāhuhu. The first story reflects upon Māori migration, in particular the waka Tainui and their search to find a new home. Moving between imagery of water and land the story traces the Tainui waka and its crossing over land from one coast to the other. The second story looks to the arrival and establishment of the British colony in Ōtāhuhu. Imagery of churches, school memorials and water tanks, signify building blocks of identity carried by those who travelled across oceans from their homeland to resettle here. The final story moves closer to the present, tracing the artist’s family and their migration from Samoa to Aotearoa. Scenes of a domestic life provide a backdrop to stories of gathering over food, practicing tradition and the significant role a house has played for the family in sheltering and nurturing them, their culture and their identity in their new home.

Cinematography: Ian Powell