Rnz: Te Ahi Kaa

Four Māori candidates from different political parties discuss the health of te reo Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand and set out what their parties will do for the language's well-being. 

Howie Morrison Jr has a famous whanau saying – 'Have piupiu, will travel'. For 40 years, kapahaka took around the world and this year he released his first solo album. Te Ahi Kaa visits Howie at his Rotorua home.

Tangiwai Ria and her husband George have won three national titles with their kapa haka group Waihirere. Tangiwai shares her story with RNZ's Te Ahi Kaa.

Tributes flowed this week for renowned artist and Master carver Dr Cliff Whiting who contributed to all facets of traditional and contemporary Māori Art. From marae restoration to design projects, Dr Whiting championed Māori art in schools and became the inaugural Kaihautu of the National Museum, Te Papa Tongarewa. This week Te Ahi Kaa pays tribute to his genius with archival recordings of Dr Cliff Whiting who discussed art and religion at the Tāonga Māori conference in 1990.

Te Ahi Kaa meets the entrepreneurial couple behind the super-successful Pipi Mā dolls. Kristin Ross and Hohepa Tuahine are currently working on a 'mihi' Pipi Mā doll and a cartoon series for Māori Television.

Māori language advocate Paraone Gloyne started the Mahuru Māori movement in which participants speak only in te reo during September (Mahuru). Te Ahi Kaa meets him in Te Awamutu.

Te Ahi Kaa goes behind the scenes with kapa haka performers at Te Papa and tours an art exhibition in Porirua. You can also hear part two of astronomer Dr Rangi Matamua's presentation on the meaning of Matariki.

Moana Skipworth-Lousi gathered her fellow Māori healing practitioners to a Hamilton marae recently to discuss the tikanga of romiromi. Te Ahi Kaa was there.

Te Ahi Kaa visits a spiritual healing expo in Whakatane to learn about the healing power of mirimiri (massage), spiritual guidance and natural tonics.

Te Ahi Kaa joins Te Rangikaheke Bidois on a visit to the Hamurana and Taniwha Springs to get an insight into the local stories and history.

The children knew about Pekehaua, the taniwha of the Awahou river, many years later they share their stories of growing up at the Pa, living off the land and river, and the genesis of Kapahaka.

Te Kura Whare - The Living Building symbolises the future of the Ngai Tuhoe people, Te Ahi Kaa visits the space with Maia Rurehe.

Transforming spaces is a trend in the Bay of Plenty township of Taneatua. Local Māori business owners – including gallery owner Tame Iti and his son Toi, a barber – are optimistic about the future of their community.

Kōhanga Reo teacher Jesse Huriwai has a leadership role in Pai Mārire, the Māori Christian faith also known as Hauhau. He shares his story with Te Ahi Kaa.

Te Ahi Kaa explores Māori Catholic faith in the small community of Te Puna and at Hui Aranga – a four-day Easter event which attracted thousands to Tauranga this year.

Te Ahi Kaa explores faith with Mita Ririnui, a former Labour Party MP and registered apostle of the Rātana Church, and Piriwiritua Rurauwhe, who was raised Rātana and is now the church's secretary general.

Te Ahi Kaa is in Gisborne this week with Donald Tamihere, who took over the role as Bishop of Te Tairawhiti from the late Archbishop Brown Turei.

Te Ahi Kaa goes behind the scenes as whanau at Huria Marae in Tauranga gear up to host their 59th Poukai (annual visit by the Māori King).

The Poukai is a gathering instigated by Kiingi Tawhiao in 1884 to look after the Pouaru, the whanau panui and the rawakore (the widowed, bereaved and the destitute) following the Land Wars in 1863. This year 29 marae will host Poukai. Te Ahi Kaa finds out more about the history with Waikato Kaumatua Tame Pokaia.

Te Ahi Kaa visits marae in Christchurch and Motueka for the series Ngā Marae o te Motu (Marae of this Country).