HINE TOA
Ngāhui Awekōtuku
Discover how a restless working-class girl from the pā became a founding member of Ngā Tamatoa, the Women’s and Gay Liberation movements, and an essential voice in protests across Aotearoa. Winner of the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Award for General Non-fiction, Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku’s memoir Hine Toa: A Story of Bravery, is a remarkable ‘coming of age’ memoir by a trailblazing voice in women’s, queer and Māori liberation movements. Chaired by Donna McLeod.
In the 1950s, a young Ngāhuia was fostered by a family who believed in hard work and community. Although close to her kuia, Ngāhuia craved more. Her pukapuka recounts how a restless working-class girl from the pā became a founding member of Ngā Tamatoa and the Women’s and Gay Liberation movements and an essential voice in protests across Aotearoa, from Waitangi to the streets of Wellington.
All books will be on sale through our festival bookstore partner, Paper Plus Nelson, both in store at 237 Trafalgar Street Nelson, online, and at our Pukapuka Talks venues – get your copies signed by the authors after their session! If you’re buying online, please select the Nelson store to collect in person.
Pukapuka Talks are presented by:
Thank you to:
