Wānanga - Short Film by Keelan Walker

Wānanga - A documentary by Keelan Walker.

Winner of the Best Documentary category at the Top of the South Film Festival.

In late November 2018, I was invited by the whānau of Ōnuku Marae, to film a series of wānanga that had been planned by several of their kaumātua. A wānanga is a traditional learning environment and these wānanga were being organised for their rangatahi in an effort to revitalise the knowledge of mahinga kai, a term that is used by Māori to describe their traditional food gathering areas and practices.

Ōnuku Marae is located on the shores of the Akaroa Harbour, Banks Peninsula, about an hour and a half south of Christchurch. When I asked the Project Co-ordinator, Pere Tainui, what inspired the idea, he told me that about 6 months earlier a group of about 15 kids came to the marae for a hui. Earlier that day they had set some nets in the harbour in front of the mare and as they were pulling them in he asked the children, how many of them like fish? “Only about 3 or 4 kids put their hands up”, he said. He remembered thinking to himself, something is wrong here. So he tried a different approach. He then asked them, "Well, do ya's like fish and chips?". Immediately the numbers changed and almost all of them said yes. It was at that point he decided, it's time for a wānanga.

I consider myself privileged to be in a unique position to film many of our local Te Tau Ihu (Top of the South) Iwi, out on our own whenua, learning about our own mahinga kai. But when I was invited south by Ngāi Tahu to film outside of my own region and capture their story, it was an exciting new opportunity for me.

Produced by Loud Noise Media | Directed By Keelan Walker | Filmed and edited by Keelan Walker and Nathanael Lane.

An adaption from the Ōnuku Marae 'Mahinga Kai' series.

   • Ōnuku Mahinga Kai Series