Pania Wiki

Pania Wiki was born in Paraparaumu and was educated at Paraparaumu Beach Primary School and Kapiti College. From 1984-86 she worked on various PEP [pre-employment] Schemes with the Labour Department in Paraparaumu. From 1993-94 she was a volunteer worker at Mt Cook Pre-School and then worked as a teacher aide at Mt Cook Primary School from Pania writes: "I was guided and introduced to the ‘Arts’ as a teenager by Sylvia Bowen from the then Aperahama Press… Sylvia encouraged me to enrol at Victoria University, which I did; my daughter and I moved back to Wellington where we stayed till 2000." Pania has completed two English literature papers at Victoria University and has attended various courses at Wellington Polytech, Wellington College of Education, Special Education Services, Wellington Arts Centre and Kapiti Women’s Centre. In 1992 Pania participated in two writing courses at Wellington High School focussing on creative writing and short story writing. She writes short stories and poetry and her poetry has been published in the Listener, Kapiti Poets Anthology Part 1, and Leaves Community Art Magazine (1982-5). She read a short story on Access Radio Station in the early 1990s and was interviewed by Tungia Baker on Māori Radio in the mid 1990s. Pania was involved in the 1982 Projections Project at Dowse Museum. From 1981-86 Pania and Sylvia Bowen did poetry readings in Paekakariki and Pukerua. Pania writes: "My main strength now is weaving/taaniko. I make belts, purses/bags which have the taaniko on the front and leather on the back, [and] headbands."

Biographical sources

• Correspondence from Pania Wiki: 9 Dec. 2004 and 15 Feb. 2005.
• Wiki, Pania. Looking Behind. Paekakariki, N.Z.: Aperahama, 1984.