Te Manutukutuku

He manu tukutuku te rangi ka uhia he huruhuru te manu ka tau
Kites adorn the sky as feathers adorn the birds

Hirini Moko Mead in 'Te Manu Tukutuku'
by Bob Maysmor, Steele Roberts Aotearoa, 2001.

Download and read the latest edition of Te Manutukutuku  (January 2008)  in pdf format.

"Te Manutukutuku", which means "the flying kite", is the Waitangi Tribunal's official quarterly newsletter.  In the first edition in 1989 director, Wira Gardiner, explained that the humble kite was chosen as the name because " Te Manutukutuku is symbolic of a number of key ideas.  In modern times we largely fly kites for entertainment.  Politicians also tend to fly 'kites' of a different sort - when they want to test public attitudes for an idea they might have.  We prefer that Te Manutukutuku represents 'the messenger' as a mean of telling people what is happening."  Its aim is to inform people about crucial Treaty issues and the roles and responsibilities of the Waitangi Tribunal, and has a key educative role. As well as the public at large, the newsletter targets Māori organisations, learning institutions, local and national government bodies, politicians, and the media, and it has a strong international readership.

The initial hope for this kite, that it would act as a bridge across cultural gaps to help to reduce anxiety in the community about the Treaty and the work of the Waitangi Tribunal, still flies with it today.

Back Issues