Te Reo edition of Pūkaki launched

Te Reo edition of Pūkaki launched at Rotorua Lakes Council
Paul Tapsell and Scotty Morrison combine to launch te Reo Māori edition of award-winning illustrated history

A 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 and media personality 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.

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.
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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