Presented in partnership with Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of The Arts

What was happening in South Polynesia during the European Middle Ages? Madi Williams (Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Kōata, Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō), lecturer at Aotahi - School of Māori and Indigenous Studies, University of Canterbury, joins Matariki Williams for a fascinating deep dive into what was happening in Aotearoa between 900 – 1600.

‘… Williams challenges preconceptions and misinterpretations made by Western historians about Polynesia’s past … it’s a tantalising taste of the saga of Polynesia’s human settlement.’ Christopher Moore, New Zealand Listener

Madi Williams

Madi Williams (Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Kōata, Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō) is a lecturer at Aotahi - School of Māori and Indigenous Studies, University of Canterbury. Her first book Polynesia, 900-1600, looks at the European Middle Ages in South Polynesia. She is currently working on transforming her PhD thesis into a book entitled Ngāti Kuia: Stories About the Past.

Matariki Williams

Matariki Williams (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Hauiti, Taranaki) is Pou Hītori Māori Matua Senior Māori Historian in Te Pae Wānanga (the Research and Publishing team) at Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. She co-wrote the award-winning book Protest Tautohetohe: Objects of Resistance, Persistence and Defiance, is a co-founder and co-editor of ATE Journal of Māori Art, and has appeared in the recent television series National Treasures.