Our new Kaiwhakahaere Māori…

Haneta Pierce joined Christchurch City Libraries / Ngā Kete Wānanga-o-Ōtautahi in 1996 as the Māori Resources Librarian and has recently accepted the newly created position of Kaiwhakahaere Ratonga Māori / Māori Services Librarian.

She is a long standing member of Te Rōpu Whakahau, the Māori Library and Information Workers’ network and has been a Cultural Portfolio holder for the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa twice. Her achievements and contributions to Christchurch City Libraries over the past seven years are testament to her commitment and passion for Māori services and resources within libraries.

Haneta’s mahi has involved developing the Ngā Taonga Māori collections across the Christchurch City Libraries network. She was responsible for the creation and development of the Central Library’s Ngāi Tahu collection and has been integral in establishing networks between Ngāi Tahu and the library.

Haneta has also been responsible for the creation of the Library’s online Māori resources. ‘Ara Ipurangi mo te Iwi Māori’ is the Māori homepage for Christchurch City Libraries and ‘Ti Kouka Whenua – a symbol for our city’ provides web based historical information pertaining to local Māori.

Another aspect of Haneta’s mahi can be seen in the tukutuku panels that adorn the walls of the Ngā Pounamu Māori centre at the Central City Library. She worked in conjunction with members of Ngā Puna Waihanga, and involved various community groups, to produce these beautiful artworks.

More recently Haneta has led the Library in its new strategic direction for Māori services. She co-ordinated and organised a hui which gave Māori the chance to give feedback on what they wanted from the library. The information gathered from this hui was incorporated into the strategic review process that shaped ‘Ngā Tapuwae Hou’, the new bicultural plan that was launched in May 2003. Her new role as Kaiwhakahaere Ratonga Māori is intrinsically linked to Ngā Tapuwae Hou. As well as being responsible for developing Māori services across the entire Christchurch City Libraries’ network, Haneta is also responsible for making sure that Ngā Tapuwae Hou is implemented and fully effective.

It is a significant move for Haneta and a sign of the recognition and emphasis that Christchurch City Libraries place on the importance of te iwi Māori in their organisation.