Public Event: Understanding Our Story, Embracing Our Future

This talk is an opportunity to continue our bi-cultural journeys with Puna Wano-Bryant and Dr. Alistair Reese. These two superb speakers will share their stories and knowledge. This will be followed by a time of Q&A. Supper will be served.

Entrance by koha/donation. No reservations/tickets required.

Puna Wano-Bryant is a passionate advocate for Māori. Originally from Taranaki, Puna has a double degree in Māori film & television and law. She is currently working as an iwi development manager at Te Kahui o Taranaki. Wano-Bryant is also a Trustee for endowment fund Te Karaka Foundation.

She is heavily involved with Te Reo o Taranaki, teaches kapa haka and loves mentoring young Māori. She was previously the chairperson of the Parihaka Papakainga Trust and heavily involved in the long-awaited Parihaka-Crown Reconcilliation Ceremony, He Puanga Heaata, in June 2017.

Alistair Reese lives with his wife Jeannie on a farm in Paengaroa in the Bay o Plenty. He has postgraduate degrees in Theology, History and Tikanga Māori. His PhD in theology from the University of Auckland focussed on reconcilliation and Pākeha identity.

Alistair is an adjunct Fellow at the University of Otago and his research and speaking interests include post-colonialism, reconcilliation and prophetism. He is involved in local and national efforts to promote reconcilliation between Māori and Pākeha, and in exploring understandings of what an indigenous Christianity might look like.