Māori

Toby Curtis: Unfinished Business – Ki hea āpōpō

Toby Curtis
Unfinished Business – Ki hea āpōpō
Sir Toby Curtis with Lorraine Berridge McLeod

The late Te Arawa leader sets out his life from poverty to knighthood with frank views on education and racism

Knowing that he was unwell, over the past year the late Sir Toby Curtis worked with long-time friend Dr Lorraine Berridge McLeod to record his life and views on key areas from his stellar career — especially Māori education and leadership, and his experience of racism.

Toby Curtis – Unfinished business: Ki hea āpōpō follows Toby’s progress from his humble origins through family life and his mahi as a teacher and lecturer, government adviser in education and broadcasting, and leader of the Te Arawa iwi confederation.

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Moe mai rā e te rangatira, ko Tā Toby Curtis

Dr Sir Noble Tamihana (Toby) Curtis, 1939–2022

Kua hinga te tōtara ki te Wao Nui a Tāne. The totara has falled in the forest of Tane.

Moe mai, moe mai, moe mai rā e te rangatira. Rest in peace, chief.

Oratia Books joins with the Curtis whānau, friends, colleagues and Te Arawa iwi in mourning Dr Sir Toby Curtis (Ngāti Rongomai, Ngāti Pikiao), who passed away on 17 August. 

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Updated version of classic dictionary explains key vocabulary in te reo Māori

Illustrated Māori Dictionary: Māori–English Essentials 
by A.W. Reed
Illustrated by Roger Hart

Two outstanding talents came together to create one of New Zealand’s very first illustrated dictionaries in 1965. Publisher and author A.W. Reed and illustrator Roger Hart created this book understanding that pictures provide an invaluable aid in the process of language learning.

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Important tribal histories Horouta and Te Arawa available once more

Oratia Books is delighted to welcome back into print two major works of Māori history, which will be available to readers from this Wednesday 27 July.

Horouta: The History of the Horouta Canoe, Gisborne and East Coast and Te Arawa: A History of the Arawa People are works of great mana that retain relevance to descendants of these waka groupings, and are of interest to readers far and wide.

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