Posts Tagged ‘Moana-o-Hinerangi’

Moko Kauae
Worn with Mana

These wāhine are certainly not alone in calling on their tīpuna to support and guide them through the painful process of having their identity inked into their skin — an experience that Moana likens to childbirth. “You might think I’m comparing the pain of each experience, but actually it’s about the fact that you come out with such a taonga at the end,” she laughs. “You take the pain because you know what’s coming, and you know it’s worth it.”

London Calling

Twenty-year-old James Buchanan, who grew up in Gore, “where there were plenty of men in beards but not a lot of dancing”, is heading to London in August to train at ArtsEd, a prestigious musical theatre school with Andrew Lloyd Webber as its president.

“They call it the triple threat,” James says. “Singing, dancing and acting. I’m terrified but I can’t wait.”