Part of our Science for Lunch series, join us and Curator Brad Haami to share mātauranga māori aspects of the new Taiao Nature Exhibition (due to open in mid 2019) showing how science and mātauranga both intersect and diverge.
Mātauranga māori can be defined as ‘the knowledge, comprehension, or understanding of everything visible and invisible existing in the universe’, and is often used synonymously with wisdom. The new nature space is set to draw on the complimentary wisdoms of mātauranga and science to give visitors a uniquely New Zealand learning experience. Bring your lunch along and explore the fascinating intersecting subject with our expert!
Please note that this event is exclusive to Friends members only and will contain confidential information, no photography please.
Curator Brad Haami
Brad Haami, Lead Mātauranga Māori Curator is originally of the Ngāti Awa tribe of Whakatāne. His passion for storytelling and his expertise in Māori culture has seen him produce exploratory works on Mātauranga Māori (Māori Knowledge), Māori history and more recently Māori biography. “My interest in storytelling is primarily based on the ‘power of the story’ – whether in an oral form, a written form, a documentary or as a cinematic film – to convey a message that stimulates conversation and transforms hearts, minds and communities.” He self-published True Red; The Life of an ex-Mongrel Mob Gang Leader (2004) which captured audiences all over the world and Ka Mau Te Wehi Taking Haka To The World, the biography of Māori performing arts doyens Bub and Nen Wehi which won the 2013 Ngā Kupu Ora Best Māori Biography of the Year Award. His most recent work is Urban Maori: The Second Great Migration (Oratia Media, 2018). He has written and consulted for critically acclaimed television productions, local and international dramas, documentaries and feature films. His services were crucial to the making of the acclaimed tv thriller series Mataku, the cinema film Tracker and the Māori film Mahana. He has also consulted as a Mātauranga Māori expert for The Māori Natural History and Moana Galleries at Auckland Museum and the acclaimed travelling Tohora: Whales Exhibition for Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington.
Banner Image: ‘sacred landscape in central Hawkes Bay at Takapau named Horehore’, copyright, Brad Haami.