Reihana MacDonald Robinson

Ngāti Raukawa

1951 -

Reihana MacDonald was born in Auckland and was educated at Tokoroa High School, New Canaan High School, USA and at Auckland University where she graduated with a B.A. and Dip.Tchg. She is an artist, an art educator and writer. She has received the Te Atairangikaahu Award for literature and has been awarded an East-West Center Fellowship in Honolulu as Artist-in-Residence. She writes poetry, short stories and non-fiction articles. Her poetry and stories have been published in Voices, Hawaian Review, Takahe, Legible 5 Roses, Enamel, Landfall, Radio New Zealand, and Te Ao Marama vol. 3. Reihana has written articles for Thursday Magazine, Centerviews and Changing Our Lives, a book edited by Christine Dann in 1990/91. She has worked as art adviser with Wellington’s teacher support services and has travelled to Noumea to "demonstrate the New Zealand approach to teaching art in schools, encouraging children’s creativity and self-expression." She lives and works in Aotearoa New Zealand and the USA.

Biographical sources

  • Correspondence from Reihana MacDonald, 3 April 1993.
  • Rose, Jeremy. "Poem of the Week: Treaty." In "Scoop Review of Books." http://books.scoop.co.nz/2009/09/24/poem-of-the-week-treaty/#more-1577 7 Oct. 2010.

    Biography

  • "Timberland Tootsie from Tokoroa." Changing Our Lives: Women Working In The Women’s Liberation Movement 1970-1990. Ed. Maud Cahill and Christine Dann. Wellington, N.Z.: Bridget Williams, 1991. 87-93.
  • An autobiographical account tracing her life and involvement with the women’s movement, abortion action, Māori art and education from the late sixties up till 1991 - includes one short story by Reihana entitled "Cheap Talk".
  • "Art." Listener 25 Mar. 1991: 48-49.
  • "New Zealand Is All The Rage In The Big Apple." Dominion 4 May 1995: 8.
  • "Bitter Battle Brews Over Fencing an Inland Island." New Zealand Herald 30 May 2006: A11.

  • Fiction

  • "Cheap Talk." Voices, The University of Hawai’i (Manoa) Women’s Newsjournal. No details. Rpt. in Changing Our Lives: Women Working In The Women’s Liberation Movement 1970-1990. Ed. Maud Cahill and Christine Dann. Wellington, N.Z.: Bridget Williams, 1991. 91-92.
  • A description of two women - one who gets drunk on a bus trip and another who commits suicide.
  • "A Novel Needs Me." Broadsheet 190 (Aug. 1991): 36-37.

  • Non-fiction

  • Māori Art in the Classroom. Australia: McGraw-Hill – Europe, 1994.
  • Nga Korero a Nga Tamariki: Art, Another Language: Approached To Teaching Māori Art. Auckland, N.Z.: Lands End, 1995.
  • Nga Korero o Te Marae: A Handbook For Teachers, Parents And Student Visitors. Auckland, N.Z.: Lands End, 1997.
  • Art Eyes: Teaching and Learning About Visual Arts in the Primary Classroom. Christchurch, N.Z.: User Friendly Resource Enterprises, 2002. 2v.

  • Poetry

  • "Waiting For The Palangi." Other Voices 2 (1991): 25.
  • "Thinking Of My Father." Landfall 192 (Spr. 1996): 232-233.
  • "Treaty." AUP New Poets 3 1998. Rpt. in "Poem of the Week: Treaty." Sept. 24, 2009 http://books.scoop.co.nz/category/poems/ 7 Oct. 2010.
  • "Truth Lies In All Latitudes." Takahe 59 (Dec. 2006): 44.
  • "Humility." Takahe 59 (Dec. 2006): 44.
  • "Together." Takahe 63 (Aut. 2008): 19.
  • "Just South of Maramarua." Takahe 63 (Aut. 2008): 19.
  • Aup New Poets. 3. Janis Freegard, Reihana Robinson, Katherine Liddy. Auckland, N.Z.: AUP, 2008.
  • "Hawk." Takahe 66 (2009): 59.
  • "Together." North and South 275 (Feb. 2009): 94.

  • Reviews

  • "Books." Rev. of Wahine Toa, Women of Māori Myth, by Robyn Kahukiwa and Patricia Grace. Listener 3 June 1991: 61.

    Other

  • Martyn, Tamara. "Artist of the Earth." Pacific Way 30 (1990): 27-28.
  • "Pastels Artist Works To Replant." Dominion 24 Aug. 1990: 23.
  • Swain, Pauline. "Friendship Fund For Children." Sunday Times 3 Oct. 1993: 20.