In this episode, we hear artist Maija Stephens responding to three images of wahine Māori: In Mrs Karetai’s House by John H Scott; Wahine Māori wearing a tiara by John McGarrigle; and an image of an unidentified wahine attributed to the American Photographic Company. When looking at these photographs Stephens asks herself, is the person behind the camera a photographer or a kaiwhakaahua? This is a question of positionality for Stephens. In this talk, she considers what it might mean to decolonize the lens, how the language of photography might need to shift, and the impact this has on her own practice.On the occasion of the exhibition A Different Light: First Photographs of Aotearoa, at Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery (1 February to 15 June 2025), this lunchtime talk was part of the series ‘Through a Contemporary Lens: Artists in Response’ developed in collaboration with artist and educator Caroline McQuarrie, and was recorded on 05 June 2025.

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