We must begin this arotake pukapuka (book review) by talking about reo (language)—which means we need to talk about history and power. As a reader of this blog, you are most likely not a New Zealander, and are probably primarily familiar with our country through The Lord of the Rings films. It’s a start: you have at least seen some of our extraordinary landscapes. But long before they were used to tell that foreign tale this land has been layered with Indigenous stories that stretch centuries into the past and are continuing into the present and future.
A recent high point in such storytelling is the new pakimaero (novel) Kurangaituku by Whiti Hereaka, who comes from Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Te Arawa tribes.
