‘On The Bus’ was a roving tour of Māori writers coordinated by Te Hā. Each year, On The Bus took a group of four Māori writers on tour in a different area of the country. Each cohort featured writers working in a range of genres and forms to capture the diversity and vibrancy of Māori literature as accurately as possible. The tour heightened awareness of books written by Māori. On The Bus emphasized audience participation to nurture Māori writing in all forms and skill levels.  

On The Bus was a significant event in the history of Te Hā, embodying the committees’ aim to promote Māori storytelling and connect Māori readers and writers. The tour took place annually and ran from 2001-2010. Each year the tour took four writers to a different area of the country that is rural and/or underserved by existing literary initiatives to facilitate reading and writing events.  

A typical day of the tour would consist of 2-3 sessions, often morning and an evening performance. Generally, the morning performances would target children and evening performances would target the adult public. Sessions were 2-3 hours long each and involved a mix of readings, workshops, and a question-and-answer session. 

The program of each session was tailored to meet the expected needs of each audience. For example, sessions with school children would dedicate more time to hands-on, workshop activities. Sessions for adult audiences would dedicate more time to readings.  

The tour was incredibly popular with both audiences and writers.  The writers would visit schools, libraries, marae, tertiary institutes, cafes and other community venues. Venues were selected with the priority of reaching a wide Māori audience, but attracted a diverse audience across many demographics, Pākehā and Māori, rural and urban, young and old.  

Efforts were made to always include at least one writer who worked multiple genres and could incorporate these practices into their performances. These aspects were key to accurately representing storytelling traditions in Te Ao Māori and helped the writers connect with audiences in many cases. Whenever possible, local writers were sought out and invited to present alongside the touring writers.  

Kaupapa 

A priority of On The Bus was to represent a diverse range of Māori writers to a broad audience. The format of On The Bus ensured that Māori writing and writers were the mainstream focus. The tour promoted and heightened awareness of books being written by Māori.  

Furthermore, On the Bus differed from existing literary initiatives due to its emphasis on audience interaction. The program aimed to facilitate interaction between audiences and Māori writers and facilitate an exchange that nurtured writing at all levels. On the Bus was inspired by ‘Words on Wheels’ an initiative by New Zealand Book Council.