What ‘belonging’ means to two poets who grew up away from their tūrangawaewae

By Fourplait

“I identify as urban Māori – and no shame in that. There definitely used to be… 

“Being urban Māori means that you live or you were raised in the cities and the urban areas – in places where you don't whakapapa to. Those connections, they’re huge in te ao Māori.”

Poets Khadro Mohamed and Stevie Davis-Tana both grew up away from their tūrangawaewae (a place of belonging  due to genealogy).  

Stevie (Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga) was raised in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland away from her whenua and Khadro was born in Somalia but has no memory of it, as she came to Aotearoa when she was two years old. 

Stevie flies to Pōneke Wellington to meet Khadro where they explore themes of belonging, whakapapa and identity, and how a yearning for their tūrangawaewae shows up in their writing. 

Ahi Wānanga (the fires of discussion) is a six-part web series exploring what identity, belonging and resilience is to 12 young people from Aotearoa’s Muslim and Māori communities. 

Watch the series now on TVNZ+ and YouTube.

Made by Fourplait with the support of NZ On Air. 

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Ahi Wānanga (the fires of discussion) is a six-part web series exploring what identity, belonging and resilience is to 12 young people from Aotearoa’s Muslim and Māori communities.

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