New Zealand > NZ Maori

Kura Koiwi is both a personal account of Brian Flintoff’s career as a carver, but also an important exploration of Maori art and how it relates to carving.
Heavily illustrated with exquisite examples of his, and other people’s work, this book explains the mythology and symbolism behind his work, and in doing so provides an inspiring window into the power and beauty of our indigenous culture.
Conceived as a sister publication to Taonga Puoro: Singing Treasures, his acclaimed earlier book on Maori musical inst... read more

Tired of boring and drab Maori language learning books? THIS book is bursting with vivid, entertaining illustrations by Stephen Cartwright that will attract even beginner adult learners.
The book includes verbs, adjectives, opposites, numbers, colours, shapes, and many, many other vocabulary themes. A complete bilingual index of the vocabulary, with a pronunciation guide, is included in the last pages. 'Learn Maori with Huia' is an on-going series of books and resources to inspire and help anyone who is interested in learnin... read more

This book is an introduction to the star group Matariki. Known in other cultures by names including the Pleiades and the Seven Sisters,
Matariki featured strongly in pre-European New Zealand. It marked the beginning of the Maori calendar, and its rising before the sun in late May or early June was greeted with great festivals. It was used as a guide to planting and harvesting, and was studied by tohunga as an omen which told whether the food-gathering season would be plentiful or lean.
Libby Hakaraia includes interviews... read more

In eight remarkable oral histories, Ngá Mórehu brings alive the experience of Máori women from the mid-twentieth century. Heni Brown , Reremoana Koopu, Maaka Jones, Hei Ariki Algie, Heni Sunderland, Miria Rua, Putiputi Onekawaand Te Akakura Rua talked with Judith Binney and Gillian Chaplin, sharing stories and memories.
These are the women whose ‘voices must be heard’. The title, The Survivors, refects the women’s connection with the visionary leader Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki and hi... read more

Ora Nui is a new literary journal showcasing contemporary work from established and emerging Maori writers. Maori writers are now developing work in a whole range of genres. As well as traditional forms like poetry, prose and fiction, script writing for theatre, television and film is becoming a much more important part of our literature. Ora Nui aims to give space for these different writing forms.
“Maori writing is located across a wide range of publications. I wanted to gather as much Maori writing as possible to see... read more

Do women have the right to speak on a marae? How should one respond to the wero? Who speaks first and last during whai korero? When do the manuhiri present their koha to the tangata whenua? These and many other questions are answered in this invaluable introduction Maori protocol. Hiwi and Pat Tauroa outline the sequence of events beginning when visitors arrive at the gates of a marae and ending with their departure. Includes information on appropriate behaviour and spiritual background, plus a selection of waiata, karakia and m... read more

Every kete has a story. This collection is drawn from the rich store of information and memories associated with kete - these much loved but often overlooked 'baskets of knowledge'. Some stories are short, others grow with the telling. All are told with warmth, humour and humility, giving us insight into how the humble kete so often helps to establish ongoing friendships and relationships. Some stories are told by the kete makers. They tell about the process of weaving a kete - learning the techniques, gathering and preparing the m... read more

"Tuamaka" is the rope that Maui and his brothers used to snare the sun. Plaited with flax, the rope gained its strengths from bringing together its different strands. In her new book, Tuamaka, our most renowned anthropologist Dame Joan Metge asks what sort of rope we need to forge our multicultural future. She identifies the Treaty, the words, and the stories with which all New Zealanders can gain the strength that comes from twining people and ideas together. The Treaty is our founding narrative, Metge suggests - and she tells a s... read more

Words like aroha, mana, and tapu are familiar to most New Zealanders, but what do they really mean?
This book provides explanations in English and Maori of seventy terms which are important in Maori culture. Each term is clearly defined, and its significance explained with reference to tradition, custom, myth and ritual, as well as present day understanding. The author, Cleve Barlow, draws on the traditional learning of the whare wananga, on karakia and whakatauki, to reveal the richly spiritual world of the Maori. He is ... read more

Patricia and Waiariki Grace's lyrical translations and explanations of Maori poetry and traditional wisdom are presented alongside Craig Potton's evocative New Zealand landscape photographs. This stunning result of this collaboration will appeal to New Zealanders and visitors alike who will appreciate a sensitive and thoughtful insight into the Maori world.

In the traditional Maori world the moko, or facial or body tattoo, was part of everyday life; everyone had some patterning on their skin. Men wore elaborate designs on their faces; women's were usually less complex but elegant, and both sexes had extensive body work. After almost dying out in the twentieth century, Maori skin art is now experiencing a powerful revival, with many young urban Maori displaying the moko as a spectacular gesture of ethnic pride and identity. This hugely popular and magnificently illustrated book, compil... read more

Nga Tini Whetu - Navigating Maori Futures brings together twenty-five papers Mason Durie has presented at national and international conferences between 2004 and 2010. It discusses Maori moving towards a future involving new technologies, alliances, economies and levels of achievement.

This book traces Maori engagement with handwriting from 1769 to 1826. Through beautifully reproduced written documents, it describes the first encounters Maori had with paper and writing and the first relationships between Maori and Europeans in the earliest school. The book tells an image-led story about the earliest relationships between Maori and Pakeha based around the written word and sheds light on a larger story of the first attempts of Maori and Europeans to live together in the early 1800s, the negotiation of the r... read more

This book brings together a series of papers by Ani Mikaere that reflect on the effect of Pakeha law, legal processes and teaching on Maori legal thought and practice. She discusses issues such as the ability of Maori to achieve justice when Maori law is marginalised; the need to confront racism in thinking, processes and structures; the impact of interpretations of the Treaty of Waitangi; the difficulty of redressing harm to Maori within the Pakeha legal system; and the importance of reinstating tikanga at the heart of Maori legal... read more

The Meeting Place is an examination of relationships between Maori and Pakeha focusing predominantly on the period between 1814 and 1840 when, author Vincent O'Malley argues, both peoples lived / inhabited a 'middle ground' - in the historian's Richard White's phrase - in which neither could dictate the political, economic or cultural rules. O'Malley begins by introducing readers to pre-1814 encounters between Maori and European from Tasman and Cook to sealers and whalers. He then provides a thematic analysis of the 1814 to 1840 pe... read more

Bible & Treaty: Missionaries among the Maori is a complex and colourful adventure of faith, bravery, perseverance and betrayal that seeks to recover lost connections in the story of modern New Zealand. It brings a fresh perspective to the missionary story, from the lead-up to Samuel Marsden's first sermon on New Zealand soil, and the intervening struggle for survival and understanding, to the dramatic events that unfolded around the Treaty of Waitangi and the disillusionment that led to the Land Wars in the 1860s. While some mi... read more

Not Available. Reprinting but no due date Wahine Toa

Joint winner - History section of the 2001 Montana NZ Book Awards Winner - Best Typography and overall Best Book at the 2002 Spectrum Print Book Design Awards design by Eyework Design and Production Parihaka: The Art of Passive Resistance commemorates and explores one of the major historical events in the history of Aotearoa New Zealand—the invasion of Parihaka, Taranaki, by Pakeha soldiers in 1881. It considers the events leading up to the invasion and the immense strength and spirit of the Parihaka community whi... read more

"Maori ora" outlines the relevance of culture, identity, and socio-economic factors to Maori health. This title discusses the subject, demonstrating its relevance across various disciplines, including the academic, medical, and sociological, and topics such as cultural studies.

Weaving is more than just a product of manual skills. From the simple rourou (food basket) to the prestigious kahukiwi (kiwi feather cloak), weaving is endowed with the very essence of the spiritual values of Maori people. The first Maori settlers brought the knowledge of weaving with them. In Aotearoa they found new plant materials, including the versatile harakeke (New Zealand flax). They also incorporated feathers from birds and the skin and hair of their dogs. They wove practical items necessary for everyday life. But they also... read more