180 Māori-Authored Books of Significance
Edited by Jacinta Ruru, Angela Wanhalla and Jeanette Wikaira
Out 3 February 2025
Books of Mana celebrates the rich tradition of Māori authorship in Aotearoa New Zealand. It reveals the central place of over 200 years of print literacy within te ao Māori and vividly conveys how books are understood as taonga tuku iho – treasured items handed down through generations.
In this beautifully illustrated collection of essays, some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most renowned Māori thinkers join the editors in a wide-ranging kōrero about the influence and empowerment of Māori writing.
Books of Mana builds on the work of editors Jacinta Ruru, Angela Wanhalla and Jeanette Wikaira, who curated Te Takarangi, a selected list of Māori-authored non-fiction books published since 1815. Launched in 2018, the Te Takarangi list now comprises 180 titles, each representing an important touchstone in an extensive landscape of Māori literature. Books of Mana explores the ways these books have enriched lives and helped to foster understanding of Māori experience, both at home in Aotearoa and internationally. What emerges from the essays collected within these covers is a clear vision of the importance of writing as activism and a profound sense that these Māori-authored non-fiction books, and the knowledge they contain, are taonga.
Editors
Jacinta Ruru FRSNZ (Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui) is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori and a Distinguished Professor of Law at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago. Her work focuses on reconciling state legal systems with Indigenous laws and advocating for policies aligned with Te Tiriti o Waitangi to empower Māori in managing and governing lands and waters.
Angela Wanhalla FRSNZ (Kāi Tahu) is a Professor of History at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago. She researches the impacts of colonialism on Māori, women and whānau, particularly in relation to colonial visual culture and Māori engagement with nineteenth-century photography.
Jeanette Wikaira (Ngāti Pukenga, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāpuhi) is the Executive Manager of Arts, Culture and Recreation at Dunedin City Council. She focuses on reclaiming story sovereignty to support community agency, creativity and courage.
Contributors
Maria Bargh, Jacinta Beckwith, Victoria Campbell, Rawinia Higgins, Spencer Lilley, Paul Meredith, Wayne Ngata, Megan Pōtiki, Bridget Reweti, Poia Rewi, Jacinta Ruru, Chris Selwyn, Hinekura Smith, Huhana Smith, Angela Wanhalla, Jeanette Wikaira and Matariki Williams.
Publication details
Format: Jacketed hardback
Colour: Full colour
Dimensions: 255 x 215mm
Pages: 256 pages
Genres: History, Literature, Māori and New Zealand
ISBN: 9781990048852
RRP: $65
Release date: 3 March 2025
Available for pre-order