PUKAPUKA TALKS GALA NIGHT

Airana Ngarewa (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Rauru, Ngāruahine) was born and raised in Pātea, a small town in Aotearoa famous for the song Poi E. His first novel, The Bone Tree, was published in 2023 and was the number-one bestselling book of fiction in New Zealand for 11 weeks. His second book, Pātea Boys, was released in 2024. It is a collection of stories about young boys and girls getting into mischief. The book reads one way in English and the other in te Reo Māori. His new book, The Last Living Cannibal, is set in Taranaki during the 1940s. It explores the concept of ‘muru’ as attempt to find balance rather than an act of revenge and is destined to become the epitome of a classic Aotearoa novel.    

Ali Mau is an award-winning journalist and writer and a thought-leader for inclusion and equity in Aotearoa/New Zealand. In a 20-year career as a news and current affairs anchor, Ali became one of the country’s most recognised faces as host of Breakfast, One News, Seven Sharp and Fair Go. A long-time advocate for women’s rights in Aotearoa, in 2018 Alison created the #MeTooNZ journalism project at Stuff, publishing many major investigations over five years, and changing the way sexual harassment is reported by media, using a trauma-informed and survivor-focused kaupapa. In 2021, Alison was awarded Reporter of the Year for her leadership of the project, with judges at the Voyager Awards commending her ‘fearless, determined pursuits that deserve the highest commendation’. In 2023, Ali became the co-founder of Tika, a tech-based charity created to bring free legal help to survivors of sexual harm. 

Elizabeth Knox is one of New Zealand’s leading writers. She is the author of fourteen novels, most recently Kings of this World, three autobiographical novellas and a collection of personal essays. Her best-known books are The Vintner’s Luck; young adult novels Dreamhunter, Dreamquake, Mortal Fire and The Absolute Book. She is the recipient of many awards and fellowships. Elizabeth was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in 2020. She lives and writes in both Wellington and Ligar Bay. 

Dr Hinemoa Elder is of Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kurī, Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto and Ngāpuhi nui tonu and is the mother of two adult children. Hinemoa is the Kaiārahi Oranga Hinengaro at Te Hiku Hauora, Muriwhenua. She also provides youth forensic court reports and neuropsychiatric assessment and treatment for tamariki mokopuna experiencing complexities in their recovery from traumatic brain injury. She is a deputy psychiatry member of the New Zealand Mental Health Review Tribunal. In 2019, she was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to psychiatry and Māori. Hinemoa has lived on Te Motu Ārai Roa, Waiheke Island for more than 25 years, and is the author of New Zealand’s best-selling local non-fiction book of 2021, Aroha – Māori Wisdom for a Contented Life Lived in Harmony with Our Planet.You can also find her on Instagram and TikTok @drhinemoa. 

Matariki Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) is a 22 year old award-winning Poet and Filmmaker. Matariki’s first book, ‘e kō, nō hea koe‘ was published by Dead Bird Books earlier this month. She is a founding member of Ngā Hinepūkōrero, a bilingual Slam Poetry Collective. A number of her performances, including a presentation to thousands of people who gathered in Aotea Square to in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, have gone viral.    

Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku (Te Arawa, Tūhoe, Ngāpuhi, Waikato) is the first female Māori Emeritus Professor from a university, with degrees from the University of Auckland and University of Waikato. She has worked as a curator, lecturer, critic, researcher, television presenter and governor in the heritage and university sectors. She is a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and a Fellow of the Auckland War Memorial Museum. In addition to the recently released Hine Toa, te Awekōtuku is the author of five other books, including Ruahine : Mythic Women, and Mau Moko: The world of Māori Tattoo. She has returned to Ōhinemutu and serves on the Paepae Tapu o Ngāti Whakaue. She loves cats, haka and chocolate. 

Tāme Iti (Ngāi Tūhoe) is a New Zealand Māori activist, artist, and agitator, known for his advocacy for Māori rights and te reo Māori revitalisation. Over the past 50 years, he has been a leading figure in te ao Māori, building engagement with his communities, walking alongside members of Ngā Tamatoa for the rights of Māori in the 1970s, and leading the Mana Motuhake movement in the 1990s and 2000s and throughout this time has portrayed his perspectives through his toi Māori. He is also a proud koro.