Nine To Noon Tina Makereti on identity, place and a compulsion to write
Apr 15, 2026
Tina Makereti, novelist, essayist and senior lecturer known for exploring Māori–Pākehā identity. She talks about probing mixed heritage and unknowability through fiction and nonfiction. She describes writing as research into family and national histories. She reflects on reconnecting with whānau, cultural shame and the compulsion to write.
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Writing As Investigation Of Identity
- Tina Makereti treats fiction and creative nonfiction as tools to investigate her fractured Māori–Pākehā identity over years of reading and research.
- She used university study and writers like Keri Hulme plus African-American authors to find language and frameworks for personal and national questions.
Maunga Moment Reconnected Her To Whakapapa
- At Taranaki maunga Tina experienced an immediate sense of belonging that reconnected her to whakapapa beyond academic learning.
- She describes a moment of being in the right spot where the mountain felt like an ancestor and the land spoke to her.
Ancestors Integrated Into Whānau Over Generations
- Tina traces Pākehā ancestors who married into Māori whānau and became part of those communities across generations.
- She adopted her grandmother Makiriti Skipper's name and credits her for early lessons in care and bringing Tina into Māori academic circles.
