Celebrated activist, photographer, and community leader Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua ki te Ahiwaru me te Ākitai, Waikato, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao, Cook Islands) is the co-founder of the Soul Protect Ihumātao campaign.
She is also the founder and creator of Nuku, which profiles 100 indigenous women through photography, audio podcast, video, live events and now a self-published book.
And now Matata-Sipu is the winner in the Arts and Culture section of the 2021 Women of Influence Awards.
Speaking with Te Ao Tapatahi today, Qiane says the win was a humbling experience, despite not having the proper awards event.
“The awards event got cancelled so we went to dinner with our friends and whānau, and I think their celebration made it really exciting. But it was really humbling to be awarded among such a beautiful collection of amazing wāhine who were all finalists.”
Matata-Sipu says she wants to create positive impacts for wahine taketake, raising awareness for mātauranga mō ngā wahine taketake and change the narrative for future generations.
“That’s the mahi that I do, whether it be with Ihumātao, Nuku – it’s about taking advantage of the time we have here to create a positive impact so that our tamariki and mokopuna can live much better lives, thriving and all of those wonderful things that we want for them.”
The feedback for Matata-Sipu's book Nuku, since its December release last year, is, as she says, "so beautiful to receive".
“It’s really beautiful to hear when you and your team have put in so much effort and aroha and blood, sweat and tears into a kaupapa like this.”
The book has been longlisted for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.
“And just last week, we sold our 3,300th book, so it’s doing really well but it’s really amazing to have the opportunity to have all of those wāhine and their stories out there in the world.”
Reclaiming her reo
Matata-Sipu has also enrolled into rūmaki reo at Te Wānanga Takiura o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa and is in just her second week but she is loving her journey into reclaiming her reo.
“I am absolutely loving being immersed and submerged in our reo rangatira, and gaining the skills to be able to serve my whānau and my people better by reclaiming that reo for myself and my whānau as well.
“I’m not a fluent reo Māori speaker. I live in a papakainga, I grew up and continue to live very te ao Māori, he whakaaro Māori. However, my reo doesn’t match up with all the things that I’m exposed to and part of.”
She says her reo journey is not just for her but for her kōtiro as well.
“I want her to grow up with te reo Māori in the home. I want her to be tri-lingual. Her father is currently winning by teaching her te reo Tonga, so it’s a bit of a competition between us.
“I guess the way that I have expressed my journey this year is coming home to me, being able to grasp that reo, that I can feel whole for myself.”