Wiremu Kaa

Wiremu Kaa was a kaumatua of Ngati Porou, Tuwhakairiora, Te Whanau a Kahu, Hunaara, Ngati Hoko, Hinepare, Ngai Tane, and Takimoana. He worked as a teacher, civil servant in the Education Department, Maori Education Lecturer at Victoria University, publisher and editor. Wiremu was active in the Anglican Church, and a broadcaster in te reo Maori for Te Upoko o Te Ika Radio. Jossie Mateohorere (Te Ohorere) Kaa was a Ngati Porou teacher, editor, writer, and Maori language expert. Over a long career she worked on numerous Maori publications and was also the coordinator for the Ngata Dictionary. She has authored short stories for children under the pen name Oho Kaa and has written levelled readers in Maori as part of the Nga Kete Korero series produced by Huia Publishers. Together, Jossie and Wiremu worked on the first all-Maori language dictionary, Tirohia Kimihia, with a team from Huia Publishers; this dictionary was a finalist in the 2007 Montana New Zealand Book Awards reference category. They have edited three collections in te reo Maori with Te Herenga Waka Press, new editions of which are forthcoming in 2024.