First published SEP 2, 2023 Updated 15 minutes ago ReadingRoom A meditation on a possible universe where Kiri Te Kanawa remained just "some other ill-begotten Māori girl"   If Dame Kiri Te Kanawa hadn't turned out famous straight away, would she have a legit beef with her whānau and their irritating and regular attempts to throw shade on her artistic pursuits? Because it's getting a little bit tired. Would whānau mistakenly interpret Kiri's artistic temperament and inability to suppress it, and take offence? Would they put Kiri in the too-hard basket, the too-hard kete, the kete for tāngata with sticks up their arses? If Kiri was just Kiri and not Dame Kiri, would whānau draw daggers and mock her precisely rounded vowels behind her plutey back, knowing anyone would die for just one look inside her plutey wardrobe? Would hapū, eavesdropping on her vocal warm-ups in the wharepaku, stop for a moment and roll their eyes? Would they pick up their tea towels and with bitterness in their hearts get back to the clean-up? Or would cousin Mere have something to say about it? Imagine her thinking It's no big deal to barge in on Kiri's warm-up.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/readingroom/short-story-alternate-realities-by-pamela-morrow

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