Tā Pou Temara wins first Māori language book honour at Ockham Book Awards nzherald.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nzherald.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
TE AO
“Is there a greater honour than to be acknowledged by your enemy as a warrior” - Sir Pou Tēmara
He is a cultural authority on whaikōrero, whakapapa, and karakia, a Māori academic, a professor of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga at Waikato University, and both a student and a tutor at Victoria University of Wellington as well as Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi This week Sir William Te Rangiua Pou Tēmara accepted his knighthood despite challenging the monarchy system throughout his career. Raised by his grandparents in a Tūhoe environment where te reo o Tūhoe was his first language, Tēmara went on to become a recognised authority in the Māori language, customs, practices and Māori performing arts.