Te Hā emerged in the late 1980s and grew out of Ngā Puna Waihanga, a national body for Māori artists and writers set up in 1973. We work under the auspices of TOI Māori to identify, encourage and promote writing by Māori.

One of our great pou said it best, “Te Hā is the perfect name. It refers to the breath, to the very essence of who we are. You draw in, you give out. Simple, really.” Patricia Grace

The Te Hā and Ngā Pou Kaituhi Māori committees have been made up of some of Aotearoa's most well known Māori writers including Patricia Grace, Witi Ihimaera, Rowley Habib, J.C.Sturn, Meihana Durie, Arapera Blank, James George, Tina Makereti, and many more. The current kaihoe of these waka include Pāora Tibble, James George, Bridget Underhill, Trent Hohaia, Emma Espiner, Ripeka Takotowai Goddard, Ruth Smith, Kirsty Dunn, Nadine Anne Hura, and Anahera Gildea.

Te Hā are guest curators for Verb Festival 2021. Te Hā-curated sessions are:
Kāore te kūmara: The Kūmara does not (Te Hā & Friends), Sat 6 Nov, 6pm (LitCrawl).
Waha Nui! Sat 6 Nov, 8:30pm (LitCrawl)
Tuakana/Teina, Sat 6 Nov, 2pm.