A Book of Rongo and Te Rangahau

In this stunning new collection, poet Briar Wood reimagines the lives of Rongo and Te Rangahau, nineteenth-century wāhine toa, tūpuna of Ngāpuhi, in radiant verse. The collection also stretches across time into today’s world with poetry about contemporary Te Tai Tokerau, and covers issues ranging from politics and race relations to sharply observed poems about local people and places.

The book features cover art by Nikau Hindin, an artist who is gaining attention for her work revitalising the art of making aute (Māori tapa cloth). The interior of the book has three pages of colour images to match the three section headings: a painting by Star Gossage and images from the Alexander Turnbull Library.