Oratia's new te Reo Māori
edition of Paul Tapsell’s award-winning book Pūkaki – a comet returns was launched on Thursday 14 September at
the Rotorua Lakes Council during Māori Language Week.
Pūkaki — Te
Hokinga Mai o te Auahitūroa represents several years of concerted work by
translator, broadcaster and author Scotty Morrison, working with academic and writer Tapsell and Oratia Books.
It brings the story of the Ngāti
Whakaue ancestor up to date and takes in debates over his representation on the
New Zealand 20-cent coin and his relocation to the Rotorua Museum, where his
future is now in question again after the museum’s closure due to earthquake
damage last November.
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| Scotty Morrison (left) and Paul Tapsell at the launch at the Rotorua Lakes Council |
Addressing the launch, Scotty Morrison reflected on his dedication to
making the Pūkaki story available for future generations in accessible te Reo
that yet reflects the dialect and customs of Ngāti Whakaue. The project had
begun, he recalled, from a discussion he and Paul had when they met dropping
their children off to a Māori-language preschool, and had become a labour of
love over several years.
Paul Tapsell reminded guests at the launch of the central role that the
carving of Pūkaki has played in the founding of modern Rotorua, and the
responsibility that government and iwi have to ensuring his well-being.
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| Scotty Morrison speaking about his translation of Pūkaki |
The new book would assist in that role, he said, acknowledging the
support of the Ngāti Whakaue Educational Endowment Trust Board for the
translation and publication.
Following the launch, Tapsell undertook a public signing of copies at
McLeods Booksellers, the local bookstore noted for its commitment to books for
and about Māori.
The book is now available from all good booksellers.
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| At McLeods Booksellers for the signing, from left: Peter Dowling (publisher, Oratia Books), Lynne Thorp (McLeods), Paul Tapsell, David Thorp (McLeods) and visiting author Tim Tipene |
