Kīnaki: Ngā reta Māori, an exhibition of nineteenth century letters in te reo Māori
Kīnaki: Ngā reta Māori, a Heritage Collections exhibition held at the Central City Library from 15 March – 15 May 2019, demonstrated the power of the pen. Sir George Grey, 1812 - 1898 was many things to many people. The exhibition Kīnaki: Ngā reta Māori contained a sampling of letters from the Sir George Grey Special Collections, that were written to Grey and his contemporaries in te reo Māori. Through the letters, the exhibition explored the complex relationships that existed between Māori and Grey, as well as demonstrating the impact of letter writing during the mid to late nineteenth century. Kīnaki can be translated as tasty morsel. In the context of this exhibition, it is used to indicate the specially selected taonga, which give a flavour of nineteenth-century correspondence and concerns. Hearing the letters spoken aloud gives an added level of intimacy to these written conversations and reanimates the taonga. Recordings of each of these letters are available on SoundC