He whakarewatanga rawe kei Te Papa-i-oea

Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna/Listen to your Ancestors has just been launched today in an uplifting event at the beautiful Wharerata homestead on the Massey University campus, Te Papa-i-oea/Palmerson North. 

Fittingly for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori/Maori Language Week, most of the event was in te Reo, with translation into te Reo Pākeha (English) — much like the book itself. 

Te Hamua Nikora (left) shares his wit and oratory at  the launch

MC and media personality Te Hamua Nikora (Ngāti Porou) had the audience alternately reflecting and cracking up as he praised author Darryn Joseph and encouraged those attending to buy multiple copies. 

"This book contains real mauri (spirit) and may it be a blessing to all who read it. 

"And today there's a chance to take some of that mauri home!" he added. 

Darryn Joseph speaks about the genesis and realisation of his book

Darryn paid tribute to illustrator Munro Te Whata and editor Carolyn Lagahetau for imbuing Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna with that mauri and to Oratia Books "for giving te Reo a space to fly." 

Darryn (left) and Cynthia White read in Māori and English respectively

He and Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Cynthia White jointly read the book to the approximately 100 guests attending, including a group from Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School who provided a beautiful waiata a ringa/action song.

The tribute to teachers was appropriate, given the book's dedication:
Tūturu, whakamaharatia, whakamīharotia,

whananuia ō tātou kaiako ahorangi!

Mōhio koe ki tō ake tino!

Let’s remember and celebrate our amazing teachers!

You know your own favourite!

Queuing for their copies

Tuhinga o mua o te roopu Oratia, ngā manaakitanga ki a koe e Darryn, ki Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, me ngā kaihoko pukapuaka a Bruce McKenzie Booksellers. 

Our appreciation to Darryn and Munro and whānau, to Massey University for hosting the launch, and to Corey from Bruce McKenzie Booksellers for selling copies on the day. 

An author kept busy dedicating copies to the many who attended

Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna is available through good booksellers everywhere, and if you're in Palmerston North, get along to Bruce McKenzie Booksellers for your copy.

Seals, sunsets and taniwha

Yesterday's launch of The Taniwha in our Backyard was a game of two halves — a guided walk around places in Muriwai that feature in the book, and then kai and korero back in The Surf Club at Muriwai.

The Surf Club at Muriwai provided a superb venue for the launch

A group of keen walkers gathered at 5 pm to follow author Malcolm Paterson in a tour of the area, in brisk weather with the sun about to go down off Auckland's spectacular West Coast.

Malcolm Paterson (centre) guides the group around heritage sites  in Muriwai

When the group returned by 6 pm, one guest summed it up enthusiastically as "seals, sunsets and taniwha" — after seeing a fur seal, beholding a spectacular sunset, and entering a cave inhabited by one of Muriwai's taniwha (supernatural creatures).

Meeting a Muriwai local – a fur seal in its element

Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara leader Margaret Kawharu initiated formalities at the launch with a mihi that acknowledged the ancestors and history of the south Kaipara, and reflected on the initiative and dedication that Malcolm has shown in connecting children to their local history via his books. 

Ngāti Whātua representatives led by Margaret Kawharu (right) join in a waiata

Margaret Kawharu initiates the launch with Oratia Books publisher Peter Dowling (right)

Malcolm spoke of his journey from initiating the Sharing our Stories project as part of a Future Auckland Leaders programme through the Committee for Auckland, to the present day when the third book in the series has been published.

Author Malcolm Paterson 

He paid tribute to the support of iwi and whānau, including his sister Mihera (who created one of the stories in the book) and wife Lavinia (whose Malaysian whānau inspired the character of Aunty Mina), and endorsed the message of strength in diversity that the book seeks to represent.

Martin Bailey talks of bringing his own backyard to life in the new book

Muriwai-based illustrator Martin Bailey then talked of his pleasure in being able to bring to life the environment around his home, before Mihi Blair of Ngāti Whātua (who is also a Future Auckland Leaders alumnus) closed the speeches with a karakia

Mihi Blair (left) sums up proceedings on behalf of the mana whenua and also Future Auckland Leaders

It was immensely satisfying to witness the support from the local community for the work that Malcolm and Martin had undertaken, and particularly to see children getting absorbed in the book.

The Taniwha in our Backyard was supported by Whiti Ora o Kaipara Charitable Trust through a grant form the Auckland Diversity Project Fund (funded by Creative New Zealand and Foundation North).

The book is available from all good booksellers or via the Oratia Media website:

https://www.oratia.co.nz/product/the-taniwha-in-our-backyard/

And listen out for Malcolm's interview with Dale Husband on Radio Wātea after 11 am on Monday 17 September.

Photographs by Carolyn Lagahetau (who also edited the book!)

Special launch of Charlie on NZ Bookshop Day

Special launch of Charlie on NZ Bookshop Day at Carson's Bookshop in Thames, Saturday 28th October at 11am. Meet the authors, Dawn McMilland and Ross Kinnaird, dress up your dog and bring it along to win a prize, and watch Ross draw cartoons live!

Saturday 28th October at 11am

Carson's Bookshop, 600 Pollen Street

Thames, New Zealand

Te Ara exhibition opens in Vancouver

Oratia launches new trilingual book featuring Musqueam alongside Māori and English

The exhibition Te Ara: Māori Pathways of Leadership, opens today in Vancouver, Canada, in the final stage of its world tour before returning to New Zealand in February 2014.

Featuring photographs by Krzysztof Pfeiffer taken over a five-year period, and curated by Paul Tapsell and Merata Kawharu, Te Ara is a visual survey of leadership in the Māori world – past, present and future. It premiered in Poland in 2010 and has since shown at major museums in the UK and Germany.

The exhibition is being hosted by the Musqueam Indian Band, the First Peoples of the Vancouver area, and is showing at the Musqueam Gallery in the British Columbian capital.

Accompanying the opening was the launch of the third edition of the exhibition book. Te Ara features photographs from the exhibition with extended text by Paul Tapsell reviewing

leadership and challenges for Māori today.

The book is believed to be the first featuring both Canadian and New Zealand indigenous languages, with a landmark Musqueam translation – one of very few texts in the language – alongside Te Reo Māori and English. Copies are available in Canada and New Zealand.

"Our conversation is indigenous to indigenous with the Musqueam, but it is a story to which everyone is invited to come along and listen in," said Tapsell, who is visiting Vancouver.           

Te Ara: Māori Pathways of Leadership will be at the Musqueam Gallery, 4000 Musqueam Avenue, Vancouver, until 28 February 2014.

Professor Paul Tapsell and Associate Professor Merata Kawharu teach in the Māori Studies department at the University of Otago, Dunedin; Krzysztof Pfeiffer is an internationally recognised photographer based in Auckland who has contributed to more than 35 books.

Read more in the Vancouver Sun

Te Ara: Māori Pathways of Leadership

Release Date: 9 August 2013  |  ISBN: 978-1-877514-60-9  |  RRP $21.99

Paperback, 210 x 297 mm landscape, 32 pages, colour

To arrange an interview, images, extracts or a review copy, contact:

Peter Dowling  027 614 8993   peter@oratiamedia.com

Libro International, a division of Oratia Media

www.librointernational.com   |    www.oratiamedia.com

Te Ara launch in Germany

The German edition of our book Te Ara was launched at the Museum of Ethnology on Sunday 7 October as part of the opening of the Te Ara exhibition and the major  rededication of the wharenui Rauru. 

Die deutsche Ausgabe von unserem Buch "Te Ara" wurde am 7 Oktober im Museum fuer Ethnologie im Rahmen der Te Ara Ausstallung in Hamburg veroeffentlicht. 

Published in German, English and Maori, the book accompanies an exhibition of photos by Krzysztof Pfeiffer, curated by Paul Tapsell and Merata Kawharu, that explore Maori leadership and identity in the past, present and future. 

Die Texte sind in Deutsch, Englisch und Maori und begleitet die Foto-Ausstellung von Krzysztof Pfeiffer, Paul Tapsell und Merata Kawharu und handelt von der Identitaet und Herrschaft der Maori in der Vergangenheit, Heute und in Zukunft.

Paul Tapsell is among the featured New Zealand authors at this week's Frankfurt Book Fair, where the book will also take pride of place on the Oratia Media - Libro International display, in Hall 8, stand M950. 

Paul Tapsell wir bei der Neuseeland Autoren Woche in Frankfurt dabei sein, auf der das Buch ebenfalls stolz am Stand von Oratia Media - Libro International in Halle 8 am Stand M950 ausgestellt wird.

Te Mana

The Henderson-based Te Whanau O Waipareira Trust launched their book Te Mana on Friday 17 August in a wonderful event at Hoani Waititi marae, Glen Eden.

The book honours the kaumatua (elders) who have taken the Trust into its current dynamic role.

Oratia Media published the book for the Trust - and we are proud to support such a worthy community!

Read the article from the Western Leader here.