For the very first session at the very first Going West Festival in 1996, it felt appropriate to open with the original language of Aoteroa, te reo Māori, with a session on Māori oral and written literature called Breathing Words.

We were very proud to bring three stellar Māori voices to the stage to explore important Māori oral and acoustic traditions through te reo and taonga pūoro, and examine how they inform written literature and what ‘literacy’ means in the context of Aotearoa.

Guests for this session were Ngāhuia Te Awekotuku, Robert Sullivan and Bernard Makoare.

Ngāhuia Te Awekotuku (Te Arawa, Tūhoe) is a leading feminist writer, lesbian-rights activist and advocate for Māori sovereignty. She has contributed to many international feminist journals and published both fiction and research-based works internationally.

Robert Sullivan (Ngāpuhi) is a poet and academic. He is a significant internationally published Māori poet with seven collections of poetry released. His poetry is also widely anthologised. Sullivan's writing explores dimensions of contemporary urban experience, including local racial and social issues. His writing has a postmodern feel, where history and mythology, individual and collective experience, become areas of refined focus. Sullivan’s work has won or been nominated for many awards

Bernard Makoare (Te Waiariki, Te Kai Tutae, Te Rarawa, Ngapuhi-nui-tonu) is a traditionally taught wood carver, taonga pūoro musician and practising artist and designer. His work is a reflection of his heritage, his environments and the importance he places in whanaungatanga and relationships between people, places and significant objects.