Haare Williams: Words of a Kaumatua

A kaumatua—an elder of the Maori people—reflects in poetry and prose on his journey from te ao Maori on the East Coast to contemporary Auckland, New Zealand. Ko te kopara anake e tarere ki te tihi o te makauri. Oti rawa! Kia oti rawa, e! Haare Williams grew up with his Tuhoe grandparents on the shores of Ohiwa Harbour on the East Coast of New Zealand in a te reo world of Tane and Tangaroa, Te Kooti and the old testament, myths and legends, and of Nani Wai and curried cockle stew—a world that Haare left behind when he learnt English at school and moved to the city of Auckland. Over the last half-century, through the Maori arts movement, waves of protest, and the rise of Maori broadcasting, Haare Williams has witnessed and played a part in the changing shape of Maoridom. In his poetry and prose, in te reo Maori and English, Haare has a unique ability to capture both the wisdom of te ao Maori and the transformation of that world. This book, edited and introduced by acclaimed author Witi Ihimaera, brings together the poetry and prose of Haare Williams to produce a work that is a biography of the man and his times, a celebration of a kaumatua and an exemplar of his wisdom.

Witi Ihimaera was the first Maori to publish both a book of short stories and a novel, and since then has published many notable novels and collections of short stories. His best-known novel is The Whale Rider, which was made into an internationally successful film in 2002. Haare Williams MNZM has published poetry, exhibited paintings, and written for film and television. He was a cultural advisor for mayors of Auckland, a senior vice president of the Labour Party, and is amorangi at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.