Presenter: Time to talk about issues concerning Maori with Henare Te Ua, a long standing broadcaster. How are you Henare?

Henare Te Ua (Maori issues correspondent): Very well indeed Eva, thank you.

Presenter: That's good, I'm glad we tracked you down.
Presenter: Time to talk about issues concerning Maori with Henare Te Ua, a long standing broadcaster. How are you Henare?

Henare Te Ua (Maori issues correspondent): Very well indeed Eva, thank you.

Presenter: That's good, I'm glad we tracked you down.
Te Ua: Thank you.

Presenter: Now you wanted to talk about the Prime Minister's literary awards that were announced on Monday night at Parliament.

Te Ua: Well I caught a letter in this morning's New Zealand herald Eva, and quite a carpy letter saying why pay these people $50,000 each, it's the taxpayers' money, it isn't the Prime Minister's money to give away and so on and so on and so on. And I thought to myself how carping because when you collectively think of Janet Frame, Hone Tuwhare and doctor Michael King, you've got a threesome there who've contributed so meaningfully to the soul of this country, about what growing up together is all about, about coming through the hard times and so on and to me this isn't the so-called taxpayer being taxed by having hard-earned earnings given away, it's recognition. I've pulled out some of Michael's books from my book shelf, I'm looking at Michael King's "hidden faces: memoir in journalism" and of course he wrote the definitive book for journalists how to treat Maori issues - "Nga Iwi o Matu : a thousand years of Maori history", "Tread softly if you tread on my life", collective writings.

Presenter: I think he's got over 30 published books.

Te Ua: Yes. "Being Pakeha now" which is a follow-up to his "Being Pakeha" and he's so emphatic about his own culturalism within this country. Janet Frame, well what needs more to be said about her. And Hone Tuwhare, I mean he's been writing poetry for years and years and years and so many other young poets have been really spurred on by his efforts.

Presenter: In fact that's what Michael King said the other night when he accepted his award.

Te Ua: That's right.

Presenter: When he was growing up, that reading Janet Frame and Hone Tuwhare inspired him and when he saw them in print, you know, it made it real to be a writer.

Te Ua: When Hone was growing up as a boy the only book they had in the house was a new testament and he was starved. Eventually he found a world of comics such as champion, triumph and magnet and he then joined a book club and in his biography, which is a marvellous book which had been written by Janet Hunt, he says, book clubs became my heaven. These are small private lending libraries which operate on a swap, hire or membership basis in much the same way as a video library today. So he was hooked and thank God he got hooked Eva because, as we both commented, what Hone has contributed to New Zealand, both for Maori and Pakeha, is something absolutely magnificent.

Presenter: I think one of the things that people were questioning perhaps in regards to these awards, not that they were being presented but that what about the younger people coming through, the ones who really need the money and the support.

Te Ua: Michael, Michael made a comment also that there are - there are funding avenues which are open to some of the younger people but I want to pay credit to those young people Eva, and during my years in broadcasting I've met a lot of these, rubbed shoulders with so many young aspiring Maori creative people and in all sorts of endeavours, in ceramics, some marvellous work within the whole area of fibre, of harakeke or flax particularly. I remember in Noumea at the last South Pacific Arts Festival a young girl, she was making bodices out of flax, she was actually patting them and shaping them and so on and she'd just finished one garment and she had it up for display and this absolutely vivacious French woman came along, she looked at this and she indicated that she wanted to try it on. So without further ado and with hundreds of people all around the New Zealand stand she calmly takes off - takes off her frock, she's topless and then she tries on this platted bodice, indicates that she'll buy it and then puts her dress back on again. So I thought well that's really pizzazz.

Presenter: Fantastic and I'm pleased you were there for that moment. Of course - I mean on whenua you've talked to literally thousands of people over the years, haven't you, who are doing wonderful things in the artistic world.

Te Ua: Oh yes it's - my mind goes right back to Brett Graham, for instance. Brett Graham was absolutely magnificent in raw - in clay, in metal, and so much of what Brett's done has been emulated by so many other artists. They're not staying with the traditional say wood and bone although they still think of it very prominently but they're experimenting with all sorts of other medium. But intrinsically in the work which they produce there's something which is definably Maori. So the Maori tradition, as it were, has still continued but through a new medium. My mind gets blown away sometimes Eva, because I don't know where all their creativity comes from.

Presenter: Well maybe now it's got more of an outlet than it had before, maybe that's the difference.

Te Ua: I suppose that is, yes, and also -

Presenter: Because we've gotten to value artists more.

Te Ua: And also I suppose, so many other artists who are proving themselves have now become I suppose the corner - well to use a terrible word, role models.

Presenter: But it is important. I mean it's just like Michael king said the other night, when you know that someone like Hone Tuwhare and Janet Frame can write then you know you can do it too and it's the same in any, any endeavour, any field. Now the other thing you wanted to talk about was Maori helping each other in relation to the Maori woman's development investment -

Te Ua: Well so often some Maori are accused of always taking handouts, standing in dole queues, hands out, hands out, always trying to get the money and that sort of thing but an organisation which was first set up in 1988 by the New Zealand Maori women's welfare league, headed by Dame Georgina Kirby, they set up what's known as the Maori Women's Development Investment and they lend money to Maori women who are setting up businesses. Now it's not simply a matter of going along with your hand out saying, look I want to become a dressmaker or something and the money's doled out, it's not. You've got to have your business plan. You have to have all the ramifications of understanding business, how to operate, margin, profits and all that sort of thing. So the MWDI lends expertise to these people to get set up. Over 4,000 women have benefited from that investment fund and quite recently the Maori women's development investment has started lending money to, to men.

Presenter: They'll have to change their name won't they?

Te Ua: But some of these endeavours which Maori women have carried out as a result of those grants Eva - one is a panelbeater, another has a very, very successful building company. There's another group who won this year's top award, they're called the Maori Kai Queens and they provide magnificent catering and they specialise in catering for film crews and film sets and television sets and so on and it's delectable food which has all got a Maori flavour.

Presenter: That sounds fantastic Henare. Nice to talk to you. We're going to finish now because it's ten o'clock. Henare Te Ua there talking on Maori issues.

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On 7 October, Auckland War Memorial Museum will confer honorary status on two individuals for their extraordinary achievement in the service of the Museum.

This year, solicitor and maritime historian, Mr William Laxon and veteran broadcaster Mr Henare Te Ua, will both receive the award of Companion of Auckland War Memorial Museum.

A solicitor, scholar, collector and maritime historian, Mr Laxon has played a major role in the development of Auckland Museum's governance structure and refurbishment. Mr Te Ua, an elder statesman of New Zealand radio and an advocate for Maori arts, heritage and culture throughout his career, have both been honoured for their singular achievement in the service of Auckland Museum's public and community roles.

Auckland Museum director, Dr Rodney Wilson says: "The awards are a measure of the esteem the Museum holds for the individual and their work, and a token of the value we place on their achievements."

Both awards will be presented at a special ceremony on Tuesday 7 October at 6.15pm, in the Library of Auckland Museum. Mr Te Ua and Mr Laxon will each receive a boxed medallion crafted by well-known Auckland artist, John Edgar, and a certificate. The medals are constructed from two New Zealand argillites, the black from Southland and the green from Nelson.