Meriana Johnsen

Meriana Johnsen (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Rangitāne o Wairau) is a writer, journalist and communications professional. She has written, produced and presented news, current affairs and long-form features for RNZ, The Spinoff, and The Hui. She is passionate about sharing iwi/hapū stories of old, and writing the stories of today mō āpōpō.

Meriana Johnsen

Latest

A man sits at a desk with his back to the camera. There are two speech bubbles above him and a whiteboard against a stylised blackboard background featuring a red hexagon shape.
Ātea

The whānau taking out loans and sleeping in cars to learn te reo Māori

Meriana Johnsen
20 Sep 2026
Sunny valley landscape with a winding river, grassy fields, and yellow patches. Hills rise on the left, mountains line the horizon, and the sky is mostly clear with a few clouds.
Ātea

Fresh footsteps on old trails: Māori are returning to manage Molesworth Station

Meriana Johnsen
13 Aug 2026
An anime-style illustration of a Maori person, wearing a white button-up shirt with sunglasses and a large pounamu toki. They stand against a red and black background, in a powerful, open-armed pose, with two taniwha floating above their outstretched palms
Ātea

‘I’m Māori first’: The vision-impaired community finding strength in whakapapa

Meriana Johnsen
05 Dec 2022
FeatureImage_TePapa.png
Ātea

Our stolen ancestors are finally returned from Vienna to Aotearoa to rest in peace

Meriana Johnsen
19 Oct 2022
Nē-first-dose
Ātea

More than any others, Māori are now lining up to get their first dose of the Covid vaccine

Meriana Johnsen
01 Apr 2022
to-be-in-this-space
Ātea

In search of a place to just be Māori

Meriana Johnsen
24 Mar 2022

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