Hinematioro Nohotima-Duncan

Hinematioro is a writer from Lower Hutt, Wellington. Encouraged by her tāina to apply for Te Papa Tupu, Hinematioro joins the 2022 cohort to finish a manuscript dedicated to her mother, with the dream that one day her children and grandchildren will be able to read about their kuia. Hinematioro hopes to strengthen her writing skills during the programme and expand her writing community.

About Hinematioro’s book

This work in te reo Māori draws from five poems, each one reflecting a different aspect of Hinematioro’s beloved mother: from meeting the love of her life in the shearing sheds, leaving her homeland aged 15 and moving to a valley of misted maidens and thundering Tūhoe reo, to becoming a master weaver within the Rūātoki valley.

The story tells of her five babies that lived and her three babies that passed. She became a reo rua speaker within the valley, slowly coming to understand her husband and children’s people, only to lose the love of her life.