

Whakapaipaihia taku kete (Pimp my kete)

These designer shopping totes by Gina Matchitt (Whakatōhea and Te Arawa) feature the Māori transliteration or translation of the name of a well-known retail outlet.

Hamipeka Kingi and Te $2 Toa.

Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira 2006.3.1, 2006.3.3.

He nui ngā kōrero a ēnei kete hokohoko papai nā te ringatoi, nā Gina Matchitt. Kei te mōhio koe ki te whakapākehātanga o ēnei waitohu hokohoko?

Kua waitohua ngā pēke ki ētahi kōrero, heoi, he aha rā kei tua i ngā kupu? He aha te pānga o ngā kai-hokohoko, o ngā taputapu utu-ngāwari nō rāwāhi me ngā kamupene hinu ki a ngāi Māori?

Nā ngā kupu a ngā waitohu hokohoko nei kei te kitea te reo Māori i ngā mahi o ia rā. E āhei ana koe ki te kōrero Māori i ō mahi hokohoko i Aotearoa?

These fancy shopping totes by artist Gina Matchitt have a lot to say. What brands can you translate?

The bags speak for themselves. But what can you read between the lines? What does the artist’s choice of brands say about the impact of fast food, cheap imports, and oil companies on Māori communities?

The bags use the vocabulary of branding to bring te reo Māori into the everyday. Can you imagine shopping using te reo Māori?

Listen to Ariana Potae read this text in te reo Māori

Gina explains:

"He mea whakaawe ēnei kete nā te tāone o Rotovegas. Ahakoa i waihangatia ēnei kete i tērā tekau tau, kei te pā tonu ēnei take ki a tātou, arā, ko ngā hua o ngā momo kai hokohoko o te ao whānui me te haukotinga o te whakarauoratanga o te reo. He nui tonu ngā mahi hei whakatutuki mā tātou.

"Otirā, kei reira tonu ngā mea pai, arā, ko te whakarauoratanga o te ao ōhanga Māori tētahi, nō muri iho i ngā whakataunga Tiriti a ngā iwi. Mā te hihiri o te Māori ka whanake tonu taua kaupapa, heoi, ko te pae tawhiti tonu tērā. Ko wai ka tohu, hei ngā tau e heke mai nei, ka kite pea tātou i ētahi kete whakapaipai tūturu e tohu ana i te whakarauoratanga o te reo me te ao ōhanga Māori."

"These Rotovegas-inspired kete feel even more relevant than when I made them 10 years ago. With issues such as the global effects of fast food and static te reo recovery, there is still much work to be done.

"On a positive note, economic revitalisation for Māori is now a possibility with significant Treaty settlements for many iwi. We can start building on that with lots of Māori ingenuity, however, there is a long road ahead. Who knows, in years to come my fantasy kete could represent Māori economic reality."