Mäori authors win inaugural book awards
massey-university
Fri Jul 31 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Mäori authors win inaugural book awards
Friday, 31 July 2009, 4:15 pm
Press Release: Massey University
Mäori authors win inaugural book awards
Books about Mäori written by Mäori were the resounding choice of hundreds of voters in Massey’s Inaugural Ngä Kupu Ora Book Awards.
Kaihautü Mäori (Mäori library services manager) Spencer Lilley says the idea for organising book awards recognising Mäori literature was as a result of other major book awards consistently failing to include Mäori items in their awards.
“The overarching trend across the six categories was that books about Mäori written by Mäori were the most popular. This is a reflection of how far publishing has come in this country in the last 20-30 years, back then you will have been very hard pressed to find a book about Mäori written by a Mäori author,” Mr Lilley says.
Despite missing out on an award at the Montana Book Awards announced earlier in the week, Ngä Tama Toa: The Price of Citizenship by Massey graduate Dr Monty Soutar was a clear favourite in the history category.
The result of the te reo Mäori category also differed to the Montana awards with Tähuhu körero : The sayings of Tai Tokerau written by Dr Merata Kawharu narrowly winning ahead of He Pätaka Kupu te kai a te rangatira compiled by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Mäori (the Mäori Language Commission).
Massey’s Te Reo Professor Taiarahia Black praised He Pataka Kupu as it represents “an important tool in the continuum of te reo Mäori immersion and regeneration and sets the benchmark for iwi to develop their own Mäori language dictionaries”.
Massey researcher and honours student, Malcolm Mulholland’s Beneath the Mäori Moon was the popular winner of the sports and recreation category. “The importance and popularity of Mäori rugby to New Zealand’s national game has been captured by Mulholland and his win in this section reinforces the positive reception the book has received from reviewers and commentators,” says Mr Lilley.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
Other category winners were: Art, Architecture and Design – Dr Deidre Brown, Mäori Architecture: from Fale to Wharenui; Biography – Professor Ranginui Walker, Tohunga Whakairo: Paki Harrison, the story of a Master Carver; Book of the Decade – Professor Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, Mau Moko: the world of Mäori tattoo.
An awards presentation will be held on Mäori Language Day September 14 to celebrate the success of the winners and acknowledge their success and the contribution of the other finalists to Mäori publishing.
The complete list of the Award winners follows:
Ngä Kupu Ora Winners 2009
Art, Architecture and Design
Mäori Architecture: From Fale to Wharenui and Beyond – Deidre Brown
Biography
Tohunga Whakairo: Paki Harrison: The Story of a Master Carver – Ranginui Walker
History
Ngä Tama Toa: The Price of Citizenship – Monty Soutar*
Sports and Recreation
Beneath the Mäori Moon: An Illustrated History of Mäori Rugby – Malcolm Mulholland*
Te Reo Maori
Tähuhu Körero: The Sayings of Tai Tokerau – Merata Kawharu and Krzysztof Pfeiffer
Book of the Decade
Mau Moko: The World of Mäori Tattoo – Ngahuia Te Awekotuku
ENDS
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}
Using Scoop for work?
Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.
Join Pro Individual Find out more
Find more from Massey University on InfoPages.