Maraea Rakuraku

Maraea Rakuraku descends from a rangatira who collaborated with his siblings to kill his older brother, so he could take over leadership of the people – that’s her Tūhoe whakapapa. Then, there is her mother's side - Ngāti Kahungunu where she descends from a notorious womanizer. All of this genealogy plays out as she negotiates modern day Aotearoa as a proudly indigenous woman. Maraea is a playwright, poet, short story writer and broadcaster. Currently, she is working on a Young Adults series, Kaimanawa, and novel, Te, as well as, let’s face it, the hundreds of other stories churning in her head.