'From a Maori point of view to look at a Maori film'.

This article looks at the reactions of Maori (the indigenous minority) to the first two Maori-produced films in Aotearoa New Zealand: Ngati (dir. Barry Barclay, 1987) and Mauri (dir. Merata Mita, 1988). Using focus groups' responses as the basis for this article, I look at several aspects of critical reception theory. These include but are not limited to: (1) the weight of representation for minority movies; (2) the 'slipperiness' of participants' memories; (3) the multi-layered connection between myself, a Pakeha (descendant of Caucasian settlers), and the participants throughout this project; and (4) the importance - and difficulty - of using first-hand accounts of viewing to discuss the way both Maori and Pakeha approach Ngati and Mauri. These categories allow me to examine the participants' understandings of these films, but also to interrogate their viewing positions in order to make larger connections within the disciplinary fields of both critical race theory and reception theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]