Ngoingoi Pewhairangi: A Remarkable Life

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A biography of Ngoingoi Pewhairangi, a loved and respected Maori leader who was born on the cusp of te ao kohatu (the old Maori world) and the beginning of some significant changes in contemporary Maori society and who utilised knowledge from both worlds throughout her entire life. From Te Whanau-a-Ruataupare hapu at Tokomaru Bay, Ngoi dedicated her adult life to supporting these people and influencing their lives to ensure a better future for Maori society. She was passionate about people and the advancement of Maori society and demonstrated this through her involvement in a variety of initiatives from Maori education, Maori language, Maori performing and traditional arts, Maori politics and within her own whanau. This book is a celebration of Ngoi's life through the testimonies of many people who knew her using their own words. The bilingual text allows people to come to know what a truly remarkable koka (mother figure) she was to so many people in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Author Bio

Tania Ka'ai is a professor in the Faculty of Maori Development at Auckland University of Technology. She has qualifications from the University of Waikato, The University of Auckland and Harvard University and has published several works on Mori culture and society. Like Ngoi, Tania is from Te Whanau-a-Ruataupare, Ngati Porou and she was nurtured and mentored from a young age by Ngoi and Ben Pewhairangi. It was Ben who asked Tania to write this book as well as the essay on Ngoi for the Dictionary of New Zealand Biographies.