Kamiria Waireti Mullen

Ngāti Toa

1942 -

Kamiria Mullen was educated at Wellington Technical High School (now Wellington High School) from She continued her studies at Palmerston North College of Education from 1990-1992 and graduated with a Diploma of Teaching. Kamiria has worked as a research librarian for the Dominion Times, and as a sales assistant, photographic printer, aerial photograph assistant, film librarian and projectionist. From 1974-79 she was a Senior Prison Officer at Arohata Women’s Prison in Tawa, Wellington. She was a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor for NSAD at Aspell House in Plimmerton and was regional organiser for the Combined Early Childhood Union of Aotearoa. She has been a part-time Te Reo Māori Tutor at National Office, NZEI-Te Riu Roa, and at Plimmerton Primary School, Horouta Marae, Porirua, Whitireia Polytechnic and at Te Wananga o Raukawa. She has been a relieving primary school teacher at a number of schools in the Wellington region. Kamiria is a published poet and short story writer and is currently writing a novel and compiling an anthology of poetry for publication and recording. She has written non-fiction articles for Broadsheet and an article in the Anniversary of Te Kupenga Marae. She wrote a paper entitled "Values within a N.Z. Women’s Prison" in 1992. Kamiria was a nominee for the "Poet of the Year 1997" awards with the International Society of Poets in the U.S.A for her poem "I Am - 1987." She is currently studying papers towards a B.Ed from Massey University and a Bachelor of Māori Law and Philosophy at Te Wananga o Raukawa.

Biographical sources

  • Phone conversation and correspondence from Kamiria Mullen, 25 and 28 July 1998.

    Fiction

  • "Whakamā." Te Ao Mārama: Contemporary Māori Writing for Children. Comp. and ed. Witi Ihimaera. Contributing ed. Haare Williams, Irihapeti Ramsden and D. S. Long. Vol. 4: Te Ara o Te Hau: The Path of the Wind. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 1994. 201-203.
  • A story describing the inner responses of Kiri as she struggles with feelings of whakamā when her teacher praises her in front of her class and siblings.

    • Non-fiction

  • "Duff Invited To Study at Māori University." The Dominion 9 Sept. 1993.
  • Kamiria Mullen writes a response to an article by Alan Duff published in The Dominion on the 2 September 1993.
  • "Kamiria Mullen." He Taura Tangata: Te Kupenga o te Mātauranga. Nā Frances Goulton-Fitzgerald rāua ko Ian Christensen i Whakaemi Ngā Kōrero. [Ed. Frances Goulton-Fitzgerald and Ian Christensen]. Palmerston North, N.Z.: Kanuka Grove, Massey U College of Education, 1996. 85-93.
  • Kamiria Mullen discusses her experience as a first year student of Bilingual Teacher Education at the Palmerston North Training College and notes the struggle to get recognition for the Māori students on the campus. This booklet was published for the 40th anniversary of the Palmerston North Training College.

    • Other

  • "Without Walls." Broadsheet 123 (Oct. 1984): 26-32.
  • In this interview with Helen Courtney and Diane Quin, Kamiria provides an autobiographical account of her life and discusses her work as a prison officer at Arohata Women’s Prison.
  • "Sexual Abuse and Violence." Submission to the Royal Commission on Social Policy.Te Wanaga-O-Raukawa, Otaki, N.Z. 1 October 1987.
  • Presented by Kamiria Mullen. Supported by John Bradley.

    • Poetry

  • "I Don’t Want Much." 1986. No details.
  • Kamiria Mullen writes that this poem was ‘written in 1986 while I was still in counselling - learning strategies to live with the abuse I had endured.’
  • "I Am - 1987." Quiet Moments: The International Library of Poetry. 398.
  • Kamiria Mullen writes that the poem ‘was written in 1987 as I was nearing the end of two years of counselling to help me deal with the after-effects of the abuse I endured.’ Kamiria was nominee, with this poem, for the International Society of Poets ‘Poet of Year 1997’ awards. The poem portrays the devastation of abuse.
  • "Break the Silence." 1996. No details.
  • The poet calls for the silence of abuse to be broken and writes of the devastating effects of abuse in her own family.

    Other

  • Rule, Martine. "A Vicious Cycle." New Idea 2 Aug. 1994. 22-24.
  • "Family Caught In Cycle." Sunday News 30 June 1996. 7.
  • Rule, Martine. "Breaking Free." New Idea 27 July 1996. 18.
  • Kennedy, Allan. "Poetry A Means Of Dealing With Pain." Kapi Mana News 25 Feb. 1997.
  • Rikihana, Matt. "Poet Wins Chance On World Stage." The Chronicle 17 July 1997.
  • "Poet Off to the United States." Kapi Mana News 22 July 1997.