He Iti te Kupu wins Te Reo Māori section of NZSA Awards

Ngā mihi nunui ki Hona Black, kua toa i ngā NZSA New Zealand Literary Heritage Awards mo te pukapuka pai ake i te Reo, i panuihia i te pō o Rāmere kei Ōtautahi.

Hearty congratulations to author Hona Black, whose book He Iti te Kupu: Māori Metaphors and Similes won the Te Reo Māori Books section at the NZSA New Zealand Literary Heritage Awards, announced this past Friday at a ceremony in Christchurch. 

 

Hona wrote this, his first book, entirely in te reo. He then translated all of the explanations and examples into English. 

The layout reflects that process, with text in Māori on left-hand pages and English on the facing pages — enabling speakers of either language to access the use, meaning and context of nearly 500 metaphors and similes.

He Iti te Kupu is the culmination of extensive research into kupu whakarite (metaphors and similes) by Hona, a lecturer and teacher who is currently completing his doctorate in te reo Māori. 

Associate Professor Darryn Joseph of Massey University edited the manuscript and mentored Hona through the publishing process, and Kanapu Rangitauira proofread the book.

The contents are arranged in chapters such as Ngā manu o uta, o tai – Birds of the land and sea, and Te Moana – The ocean. 

 

In the words of awards judge Charisma Rangipunga: 'Hona Black’s bilingual collection of metaphors and similes is a tool not to be underestimated.'

Ka nui ngā mihi ki a koe e Hona mō tēnei paraihe.

The author

Hona Black (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) lectures on the post-graduate diploma in teaching for Māori medium schools at Te Pūtahi a Toi: School of Māori Knowledge at Massey University in Palmerston North. He has worked as the Senior Māori Adviser on Massey’s Wellington campus, and been Head of Te Reo Māori at Hato Pāora College in Feilding. He currently lives in Wellington.

Publication: February 2021  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-91-9 | RRP $39.99

Paperback, 210 x 148 mm portrait, 232 pages, b&w