Tahu Kukutai was born in Wellington and was educated at Hamilton Girls’ High School. She participated in the TVNZ television training course under Chas Toogood at Tauranga Polytechnic in 1988 and the journalism course at Waiariki Polytechnic in 1989. She worked as a journalist for the Auckland Star for two years and then worked for Mana Māori Media, IPC Publishers in London, and is working on various womens titles. Kukutai is currently completing a B.A. degree in History at Waikato University. She has written many non-fiction articles in general news and features covering Māori and non-Māori issues. She is interested in writing about New Zealand history after completing her degree.
Biographical sources
- Phone conversation and correspondence with Tahu Kukutai on 2 and 8 Aug. 1998.
Non-fiction
- "Historical Atlas Traces Early Māori Journeys." Evening Post 17 July 1989: 18.
- Kukutai writes of the research conducted by Te Aue Davis for the special 1990 publication of the Atlas of Māori Oral Maps. She briefly alludes to discussion with Penelope Lawrence of the New Zealand Geographic Board concerning the process of restoring Māori place names.