Chris Winitana (

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua ( Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North ...

Ngāi Tūhoe Ngāi Tūhoe (), often known simply as Tūhoe, is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand. It takes its name from an ancestral figure, Tūhoe-pōtiki. ''Tūhoe'' is a Māori-language word meaning 'steep' or 'high noon'. Tūhoe people a ...

) is a journalist, playwright, author and producer, as well as a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

cultural and language expert from New Zealand. He founded Ngā Tama a Rangi Kohanga Reo, Te Kura o te Ahorangi, and Te Whare Ahorangi.

Career

Winitana began his career as a journalist at the

Waikato Times The ''Waikato Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Hamilton, New Zealand, and owned by media business Stuff Ltd. It has a circulation to the greater Waikato region and became a tabloid paper in 2018. The newspaper has won the title of N ...

in 1981. He later worked at

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...

in 1982 and Sunday News in 1983-85, before teaching at the Waiariki Māori Journalism Course, where he was employed to recruit more Māori journalists. Winitana and his sister founded Ngā Tama a Rangi Kohanga Reo in Hamilton in 1988. Winitana co-founded Te Kura o te Ahorangi in the same year, a

kura kaupapa Kura may refer to: Places * Kura, Iran (disambiguation) * Kura Island, Azerbaijan * Kura, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Kano State * Kura (South Caucasus river), a river in Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan * Kura (Russia), a river in Ru ...

for children ages 7 to 14, which his children attended. Winitana is a prolific contributor to school and learning resources for kura kaupapa and kohanga reo, writing 250 waita. In 1993, Winitana and his partner founded Te Whare Ahorangi, a Māori school of arts in

Tūrangi Tūrangi is a small town on the west bank of the Tongariro River, 50 kilometres south-west of Taupō on the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand. It was built to accommodate the workers associated with the Tongariro Power Scheme, Tongar ...

. He produced the first Māori Broadway-style musical ''Ahorangi Genesis'' in the same year, and in 2000 produced ''Ahorangi 2000'' in which his 11 year old son Tupoutahi played the lead male role. The musical was supported by Te Waka Toi, the Māori branch of

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government established in 1963. It invests in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes a ...

. Winitana published his second book ''My Language, My Inspiration'' and its Māori translation ''Tōku reo, Tōku Ohooho'' in 2011 to positive reviews. ''Te Karaka,'' a

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenhe ...

magazine, describes the book as complex and in-depth, challenging for some readers, but giving "new motivation and invigoration" for learning and speaking Māori. From 2012 to 2015 Winitana hosted ''Te Tepu,'' a

Whakaata Māori Whakaata Māori is a New Zealand television channel that broadcasts programmes that make a significant contribution to the revitalisation of the Māori language and culture. Funded by the New Zealand Government, it commenced broadcasting as M� ...

current affairs show that interviews prominent kaumatua and New Zealand's best speakers of te reo Māori about local and international current events. Winitana moved to Whakaata Māori's new Māori language show ''Paepae'' in 2015 when ''Te Tepu'' ended, co-hosting alongside his son Tupoutahi Winitana. The show was cross-generational, with both young and older guests debating political issues. The show aired on Sundays and ran for one 35 episode season. In 2017 Winitana was a judge for

Te Matatini Te Matatini is a nationwide Māori performing arts festival and competition for kapa haka performers from all of New Zealand and Australia. The name was given by Professor Wharehuia Milroy, a composite of meaning "face" and denoting "many" � ...

, in the categories of Moteatea and Manukura Tane and Titonga Hou Moteatea. In 2022 and 2023 Winitana was a head tutor for the Te Rito Journalism cadetship programme, intended to address the lack of diverse voices in New Zealand journalism, with a focus on Māori and Pacific voices. Te Rito won the International News Media Association award for Best Innovation in Newsroom Transformation at the 2023 Global Media Awards in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Winitana will return as a judge for Te Matatini 2025 in the category of Te Kairangi o te Reo.

Personal life

Winitana was born in Taumaranui, New Zealand. He grew up across the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

, attending Kawerau Intermediate, Fraser High School,

Melville High School Melville High School was a state co-educational secondary school located in Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island ...

, and Huntly College. He attended

The University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in numerous disciplines such as education, social ...

before entering Wellington Polytechnic Journalism School for a year. Winitana is married to Tina Maree Kaipara, and has children with her, including Topoutahi Winitana.

Publications

Fiction

* ''Poking Tongues'' (1985) * ''White in Brown'' (1986) * ''Te Uruuru Whenua o Ngātoroirangi'' (2021)

Non-fiction

* ''Legends of Aotearoa'' (2001) * ''Tōku Reo Tōku Ohooho'' (2011) * ''My Language, My Inspiration'' (2011) * ''The Meaning of Mana''

Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winitana, Chris 1960 births Living people New Zealand Māori journalists Ngāi Tūhoe people Māori-language writers