November 05, 2021
Context brought to Washday controversy
A Ngāti Porou filmmaker has revisited a New Zealand classic for a short film which premieres in this year’s New Zealand International Film Festival.
Washday draws on Washday at the Pa, a book by photographer Ans Westra whose first publication was withdrawn by School Publications after complaints by the Māori Women’s Welfare League.
Kath Akuhata Brown says she grew up near the family depicted in the book, and heard people disgruntled about the way it portrayed their poverty.
“The poverty is real. It’s not that it was a lie. It’s not that Ans Westra went in and made things look bad. It’s just there was no context around it, there was no tikanga applied in the storytelling in that book. So all I wanted to do was tell a story drawing on the beautiful imagery from Ans and bring in some kaupapa and tikanga and aroha to the family within the film,” she says.
Kath Akuhata Brown says when she was growing up there was still no power in the village, so the story draws on her own memories of doing the washing in the river.