Enough is enough

Enough is enough is spelled out in bold but transparent letters. It is an urgent but elusive call, visible only from certain angles.

The statement echoes graffiti spray-painted on the law centre of the Ngāi Tahu iwi (tribe) in Dunedin in 1997. The Crown had just reached a major settlement with Ngāi Tahu in response to the iwi’s claim of past breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. After the settlement, a Ngā Tahu marae (meeting place), Arai Te Uru, was burned down, and this message was spray-painted on the legal office next door.

Shona Rapira Davies redirects the original message to speak from a Māori perspective. She transforms it into a plea to end the anger and resentment over Treaty settlements.