Interviewees

Napi Waaka

Napi Waaka is a Maori elder, cultural ambassador, musician and teacher. He has been actively involved in community building, language revitalization and preservation his whole life. Napi is known throughout Aotearoa New Zealand as a man who can bring people together through his leadership, music and humor.

Videos featuring Napi Waaka

  • A Traditional Upbringing

    Napi Waaka, an elder and cultural ambassador of the Maori, tells us some lessons he learned about oneness living traditionally in the forest as a young child.

    (6 min)

  • Teaching Our Young to Care

    Napi Waaka, an elder and cultural ambassador of the Maori, tells us that it will take many years for the environment to be restored. The best thing we can do, Napi tells us, is to teach young people to care for nature.

    (1 min 38 sec)

  • Thoughts from an Elder

    Napi Waaka, an elder and cultural ambassador of the Maori, explains how non-Maori agricultural and fishing practices are depleting the traditional reserves that the Maori have relied upon for centuries. Many Maori are learning the legal and cultural skills needed to fight the ongoing depletion of their land, but the task of renewing and protecting the environment remains enormous.

    (9 min 2 sec)
"And so land now is becoming not just an economic thing, but it's also an area where we can keep reminding our people, 'There's history here. This is where your grandmother, your grandfather lived.'"
From
Thoughts from an Elder