From ‘terrorist’ to national treasure, renowned Māori activist finally tells his own story

Tāme Iti on the banks of the Whakatāne River near his home in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Photograph: Alan Gibson/The Guardian

There are so many ways to begin telling the story of Tāme Iti, arguably New Zealand’s most recognisable Māori rights activist, who was once branded a terrorist by the state and is now considered by many a national treasure.

You could begin with his formative school years at the foot of Te Urewera ranges, where he was made to write the lines “I will not speak Māori” as punishment for speaking his language – lines that have since become a prominent feature of his art and activism.