School Journal Part 2, Number 2, 2010
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Introduction: Rēkohu and the Moriori
Rēkohu is the Moriori name for the island group known as the Chatham Islands. It is also the Moriori name for the main island in the group. Rēkohu is part of New Zealand. The name Rēkohu means “misty skies” or “the sun as seen through the mist”. The people of the land, or tchakat henu of Rēkohu are the Moriori.
Revised edition: August 2022
Who Are the Moriori?
Like the Māori of mainland New Zealand, the Moriori are Polynesian. Moriori people trace their ancestry to the first waka that travelled from Hawaiki. In the 2006 New Zealand census, 945 people indicated that they were of Moriori descent. Over many centuries, Moriori have developed their own culture and language, which still continues today.
Revised edition: August 2022
Kopinga, a Place of Peace
based on an interview with Mana Cracknell
Imagine you are an albatross, soaring high among the clouds above the island of Rēkohu. Far below, a large, white-painted building sprawls on the hillside. Its shape looks somehow familiar ...
Kopinga Marae belongs to the Moriori people of Rēkohu. It was designed to look like a hopo (albatross) with its wings outstretched on the grass.
Revised edition: August 2022
Special Places
by children from Kāingaroa School, Rēkohu.
Kāingaroa is a tiny fishing village on the north-east coast of Rēkohu. Most of the children at Kāingaroa School have karapuna who are Moriori. Here, some of them write about their favourite places on the island.
Revised edition: August 2022
Fast Food
A play by Hera Black Taute.
Scene: A beach on the island of Rēkohu. Te Ua is visiting from Christchurch. His cousins, Hineroa, Niwhai, Jade, and Ani, live on Rēkohu.
Revised edition: August 2022
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