Ariana Tikao is a singer, taonga puoro musician and writer of Kai Tahu descent, and recipient of a 2020 Arts Foundation Laureate award. She writes waiata, poetry and creative non-fiction exploring themes relating to her Kai Tahu identity and mana wahine, often drawing on historical korero from her ancestors. She is among the current generation of artists and leaders rejuvenating taonga puoro, following in the footsteps of Hirini Melbourne and of her mentors Richard Nunns and Brian Flintoff. Matt Calman is of Ngati Toa, Raukawa-ki-te-tonga, and Kai Tahu descent. He is a trained artist, with a Diploma of Arts (with Hons) from the Design and Arts College of New Zealand, majoring in photography, and went on to study journalism, graduating with a Diploma in Journalism from Massey University. Matt worked at the Dominion Post from 2007 to 2010, and is the author of The Longest Day (Allen and Unwin, 2020). Matt received his own ta moko from Porirua artist Wiremu Barriball in 2016. He lives in Otautahi with his wife, Ranui Calman, and their daughters. Ross Calman (Ngati Toa, Ngati Raukawa-ki-te-tonga, Kai Tahu) is a freelance writer, editor and licensed translator. He is the author of a number of works on aspects of Maori history and culture, including most recently He Atua, He Tangata: The World of Maori Mythology (with A.W. Reed; Oratia, 2022), He Pukapuka Tataku i Nga Mahi a Te Rauparaha Nui/A Record of the Life of the Great Te Rauparaha (AUP, 2020), and Te Tiriti o Waitangi (with Toby Morris, Mark Derby and Piripi Walker; Lift, 2019). He is Ariana's husband and Matt's cousin.