The 100 stories recorded in this legacy publication are of incredible wāhine who seek to influence the world around them. Each offer significance to the story of mana wāhine. From Oscar-nominated filmmakers and award-winning musicians, to scientists, entrepreneurs, tribal leaders, artists, environmental champions, knowledge holders, mothers and more.
The youngest wahine is 14, the eldest is in her mid-70s, and their locations span both North and South Islands of Aotearoa and across to Rēkohu (Chatham Islands). They are wāhine Māori, wāhine Moriori, Pasifika, Melanesian, Wiradjuri, Himalayan and Mexican.
NUKU prioritises and celebrates the wāhine experience: our ceremonies, our knowledge systems, our atua, our kaupapa, our lives. Each kōrero is accompanied by striking photographic portraits, inspiring generations of women to see themselves within these pages.
This book (and the accompanying multi-media series) is entirely led, created by and about, Indigenous women. To honour collective story sovereignty and ensure a foundation of mana motuhake, this book has also been self-published.
About the author
Qiane Matata-Sipu is an award-winning journalist and an award- winning, international-exhibiting photographer. She is also a social activist and cultural commentator who has a 14-year career contributing to leading media publications and books across Aotearoa and the Pacific. Specialising in topics of identity, culture, land and women, NUKU is her first book.