He kupu nā te māia

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) was an iconic American author, poet and civil-rights activist known for her profound literary contributions and influential advocacy. As well as her acclaimed autobiographies, she wrote several volumes of poetry including On the Pulse of the Morning for the inauguration of President Clinton. She held a life-time appointment as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Her enduring legacy continues to inspire generations, reflecting her commitment to social justice, artistic expression and the power of the human spirit.

Pānia Papa ONZM (Ngāti Korokī-Kahukura, Ngāti Mahuta) is one of Aotearoa’s leading translators, broadcasters and teachers of te reo Māori. She is the Pou Reo of Kotahi Rau Pukapuka and oversees a pool of certified Māori language translators and editors enlisted to assist in the publication of 100 books in te reo Māori. Pānia’s career over the past three decades has included roles as a television presenter and producer, language consultant, language teacher, curriculum and resource developer, kapa haka tutor and leader, translator, and language strategy and education programme reviewer. She was also a member of the independent panel that reviewed the government’s Māori language strategy and the Māori language sector, as well as the ensuing independent statutory board established in response to that review. Pānia was a teacher within Te Panekiretanga o te Reo and is one of three teachers of Te Tohu Paerua o Te Reo Kairangi – Master of Māori Language Excellence at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Dr Karena Kelly (Ngāti Hine) is a specialist in Māori language and linguistics – teaching into a variety of Māori language fora, including regional and national kura reo, and providing strategic and linguistic advice to organisations throughout New Zealand. Until recently Karena lectured at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, her alma mater, where she graduated with a PhD in 2015. She is also a graduate of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo and a Toi Reo Māori licensed translator. Her literary translation portfolio is diverse, including the works of Homer and Apollinaire, Katherine Mansfield and Julia Donaldson. She is the translator of Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! as Nōu te Ao, e Hika, e! for Kotahi Rau Pukapuka / Auckland University Press.

Charisma Rangipunga (Ngāi Tahu, Ngā Rauru, Ngāti Kahungunu, Taranaki) is the managing director of Naia Limited and a graduate of the first intake of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo. She is co-author of twenty adult and children’s books including Kura Kaumātua He Hokika Mahara, a collection of memoirs honouring Canterbury kaumātua. Charisma has held the roles of Chief Values Officer at Ngāi Tahu Holdings and General Manager – Iwi Strategy & Iwi Engagement and Identity at Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, and is currently the deputy chair of Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission). Charisma’s passion for creative expression through te reo Māori continues to contribute to the pool of Māori language publications in Aotearoa.