Icon Oprah Winfrey says she’s connected to New Zealand's indigenous inhabitants because they are “a people who knows itself.”
“I think that all of our tumultuous times are caused by people who don’t know themselves,’ the former talkshow queen told Native Affairs.
“You come from a space in your life when you know who you are and when you know who your people are, and you know that the reason you exist is because you had ancestors before you that created this path that allows your journey to be what it is. You just can’t do better than that”.
Winfrey was in New Zealand last year to shoot parts of the Disney film A Wrinkle in Time, starring Reese Witherspoon and directed by Ava DuVernay. When the Hollywood A-listers received a traditional Māori welcome on their arrival, they conveyed their excitement on social media.
Winfrey plans to return in January to celebrate her 65th birthday.