Moira Wairama
MOIRA WAIRAMA is a well known New Zealand storyteller, award winning writer, a poet and a registered school teacher.
As a storyteller, Moira specialises in bi-lingual tellings of Maori legends and in creating stories around New Zealand events, art works and life experiences. Together with her partner Tony Hopkins, she has performed throughout New Zealand as one of the Soul Food Tellers, the name used for larger storytelling events often involving other performers.
As a writer Moira has written a number of plays for stage and radio and also writes for children in both Maori and English. Moira's first book Alphabet Art was a collection of poems for children written in collaboration with artist Austin Whincup. Her second book, The Puppet Box, illustrated by Bruce Potter received the 2006 Joy Cowley Award and was published with her Maori version, Te Pouaka Karetao, in June 2007. Her book The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour, also illustrated by Bruce Potter was published with her Maori version Nga Taniwha i Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara by Penguin Publishers in January 2011. Moira has also written for both the English and Maori School Journals.
As a poet Moira edited and was a contributor for the Pub Poets Anthology 3 and for many years was co-ordinator of the long running Angus Inn Poets Pub. She has performed her poetry at numerous readings and events including the award winning 2001 Fringe show, Po@rt.nz, the art of poetry at Bats Theatre and Poets in Celebration for Barack Obama in 2009.
Moira is a member of Writers Block an initiative originally started by Taki Rua Productions under well known writer and director Hone Kouka and now led by playwright and novelist Whiti Hereaka. Her stage play Questions, which looked at the subject of youth suicide, won a 1999 Fringe Best Award. She later adapted it for television, where it received the Qantas Award for Children's/Youth Best Television programme.
Her other plays include Popokorua and Kihikihi commissioned for I Spy Children’s Theatre, Te Kauta which won the 2002 Fringe Theatre Award, was later adapted for radio and included in the Tokotoko resource for Kura Kaupapa Maori and the Radio New Zealand drama's, Toll Calls, NZ Refugee and Whanau means Family, a series of short dramas written for the 2008 Te Wiki o te Reo Maori.
Together with her partner Tony Hopkins, Moira is co-founder of the Baggage Co-op which has successfully been producing theatre works for over a decade. Their production, Te Haerenga, a journey of identity, which originally premiered in 2005 at Circa Theatre, has since been developed through performances at marae, festivals, a 2010 season at Bats Theatre and the 7 Stars of Matariki Arts Event in the Hutt Valley in 2011. In June 2012 Te Haerenga will be touring to the United Kingdom.
See OUR SHOWS for more information
As a teacher Moira, who is Pakeha, has worked part time for many years at Te Ara Whanui Kura Kaupapa Maori where she helped set up the literacy monitoring and ran a support programme for children reading in Maori with specific learning needs. She has three adult children and a growing number of mokopuna (grandchildren)
MOIRA WAIRAMA is a well known New Zealand storyteller, award winning writer, a poet and a registered school teacher.
As a storyteller, Moira specialises in bi-lingual tellings of Maori legends and in creating stories around New Zealand events, art works and life experiences. Together with her partner Tony Hopkins, she has performed throughout New Zealand as one of the Soul Food Tellers, the name used for larger storytelling events often involving other performers.
As a writer Moira has written a number of plays for stage and radio and also writes for children in both Maori and English. Moira's first book Alphabet Art was a collection of poems for children written in collaboration with artist Austin Whincup. Her second book, The Puppet Box, illustrated by Bruce Potter received the 2006 Joy Cowley Award and was published with her Maori version, Te Pouaka Karetao, in June 2007. Her book The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour, also illustrated by Bruce Potter was published with her Maori version Nga Taniwha i Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara by Penguin Publishers in January 2011. Moira has also written for both the English and Maori School Journals.
As a poet Moira edited and was a contributor for the Pub Poets Anthology 3 and for many years was co-ordinator of the long running Angus Inn Poets Pub. She has performed her poetry at numerous readings and events including the award winning 2001 Fringe show, Po@rt.nz, the art of poetry at Bats Theatre and Poets in Celebration for Barack Obama in 2009.
Moira is a member of Writers Block an initiative originally started by Taki Rua Productions under well known writer and director Hone Kouka and now led by playwright and novelist Whiti Hereaka. Her stage play Questions, which looked at the subject of youth suicide, won a 1999 Fringe Best Award. She later adapted it for television, where it received the Qantas Award for Children's/Youth Best Television programme.
Her other plays include Popokorua and Kihikihi commissioned for I Spy Children’s Theatre, Te Kauta which won the 2002 Fringe Theatre Award, was later adapted for radio and included in the Tokotoko resource for Kura Kaupapa Maori and the Radio New Zealand drama's, Toll Calls, NZ Refugee and Whanau means Family, a series of short dramas written for the 2008 Te Wiki o te Reo Maori.
Together with her partner Tony Hopkins, Moira is co-founder of the Baggage Co-op which has successfully been producing theatre works for over a decade. Their production, Te Haerenga, a journey of identity, which originally premiered in 2005 at Circa Theatre, has since been developed through performances at marae, festivals, a 2010 season at Bats Theatre and the 7 Stars of Matariki Arts Event in the Hutt Valley in 2011. In June 2012 Te Haerenga will be touring to the United Kingdom.
See OUR SHOWS for more information
As a teacher Moira, who is Pakeha, has worked part time for many years at Te Ara Whanui Kura Kaupapa Maori where she helped set up the literacy monitoring and ran a support programme for children reading in Maori with specific learning needs. She has three adult children and a growing number of mokopuna (grandchildren)