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Māori astronomer Rangi Matamua says being named 2022 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year was both humbling and over-whelming.
Download AudioMāori astronomer Rangi Matamua says being named 2022 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year was both humbling and overwhelming.
Professor Matamua, who has written extensively on the Māori view of the heavens and led the drive to create the Matariki public holiday, says he expected the honour would go to one of the other contenders – Sir John Kirwan, Ruby Tui, or Jools and Lynda Topp.
“I was sitting at the table right at the moment thinking ‘who ate my pudding?’ I hadn’t eaten my pudding and I was looking for my pudding and someone called out my name so I was overwhelmed, just to be nominated was incredible but to be actually named as the person who will hold this award, is humbling,” he says.
He suspects his uncle Pou Temara ate his pudding.
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