Anne Salmond-

Hearing a young President Kennedy speak set Dame Anne Salmond on the path that has defined her life – one she has dedicated to Maori studies and greater cultural understanding.

- Judy Bailey

Anne Salmond has done more than most in this country to foster understanding between Maori and Pakeha. The Distinguished Professor of Maori Studies and Anthropology was created a Dame in 1995 for services to historical research and honoured as New Zealander of the Year in 2013. But you get the impression she enjoys most the title “Whaea”, meaning “Aunty”, bestowed on her by her students in Auckland University’s Maori Studies Department.

Her latest project is for Maori Television but it speaks to all New Zealanders. As Anne says, “It tells us as much about our present and future as our past.” Called Artefact, the six-part series is about precious taonga, or treasures. If you’re thinking that sounds a little dry, it is anything but. The episodes are packed with fascinating history and raw emotion as the various stories unfold. As Dame Anne says, “It’s about diversity. People sit inside their bubble and they think that’s their world, that’s all there is.” Anne has dedicated her working life to bursting that bubble and opening people’s eyes to the rich culture that surrounds them.

This is also a programme with real relevance for Pakeha. “It’s about who we are… what we can be… if we stop putting [Maori] down,” Dame Anne explains. She has words of warning for those who refuse to look outside their bubble. “People that know nothing – [who] have no idea what they’re talking about – do a huge amount of damage. Those attitudes do so much harm. They mark kids. They cut very deep. If you’re taught your ancestors were primitive brutes, it doesn’t make you feel good.” Anne has done much to dispel that myth.