Hone Tuwhare | |
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.jpg) Tuwhare during his service with in Japan withJ Force following the end ofWorld War II | |
| Born | Hone Peneamine Anatipa Te Pona Tuwhare (1922-10-21)21 October 1922 Kaikohe, New Zealand |
| Died | 16 January 2008(2008-01-16) (aged 85) Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Poet |
Hone Peneamine Anatipa Te Pona Tuwhare (21 October 1922 – 16 January 2008) was a notedMāoriNew Zealand poet. He is closely associated withThe Catlins in the Southland region of New Zealand, where he lived for the latter part of his life.
Tuwhare was born inKaikohe,Northland, into theNgāpuhi tribe (hapū Ngati Korokoro, Ngāti Tautahi, Te Popoto, Te Uri-o-Hua). Following the death of his mother, his family shifted to Auckland, where Hone attended primary schools inAvondale,Māngere andPonsonby. He apprenticed as a boilermaker with theNew Zealand Railways and took night classes in Mathematics, Trade Drawing and Trade Theory atSeddon Memorial Technical College (1939–41) andOtahuhu College (1941).[1] Tuwhare spokeMāori until he was about 9, and his father, an accomplished orator and storyteller, encouraged his son's interest in the written and spoken word, especially in the rhythms and imagery of theOld Testament.[2]
Starting in 1939, Tuwhare, encouraged by fellow poetR.A.K. Mason, began to write while working as an apprentice at theOtahuhu Railway Workshops.
In 1956, Tuwhare started writing seriously after resigning from a local branch of the Communist party. His first, and arguably best known work,No Ordinary Sun, was published in 1964 to widespread acclaim and subsequently reprinted ten times over the next 30 years, becoming one of the most widely read individual collections of poetry in New Zealand history.
When Tuwhare's poems first began to appear in the late 1950s and early 1960s they were recognised as a new departure in New Zealand poetry, cutting across the debates and divisions between the 1930s and post-war generations. Much of the works' originality was the result of their distinctlyMāori perspective. The poems were marked by their tonal variety, the naturalness with which they could move between formal and informal registers, between humour and pathos, intimacy and controlled anger and, especially, in their assumption of easy vernacular familiarity with New Zealand readers.
During the 1970s Tuwhare became involved inMāori cultural and political initiatives. This same era also saw his international reputation grow, with invitations to visit both China and Germany, which, among other opportunities, lead to the publication ofWas wirklicher ist als Sterben in 1985.
In 1990, artistSelwyn Muru incorporated ahaiku written by Tuwhare intoWaharoa, a sculptural gateway at the entrance ofAotea Square inAuckland. Muru translated the piece intoMāori, and inscribed this alongside Tuwhare's original words.[3]
While his earlier poems were kept in print, new work was constantly produced. Tuwhare's play, "In the Wilderness Without a Hat", was published in 1991. Three further collections of poetry then followed:Short Back and Sideways: Poems & Prose (1992),Deep River Talk (1993), andShape-Shifter (1997). In 1999 he was named New Zealand's second Te MataPoet Laureate, the outcome of which was the publicationPiggy-Back Moon (2002).
The poet moved toKaka Point inSouth Otago in 1992,[4] and many of his later poems reflected the scenery ofThe Catlins area, and the seafood available. He had a strong working relationship with fellow Otago artistRalph Hotere, and their work often referenced each other.[5]Tuwhare's poem "Rain" was in 2007 voted New Zealand's favourite poem by a clear margin.[6][7]
Poetry by Tuwhare was included inUPU, a curation of Pacific Island writers’ work which was first presented at the Silo Theatre as part of theAuckland Arts Festival in March 2020.[8]UPU was remounted as part of theKia Mau Festival in Wellington in June 2021.[9]
Tuwhare was awarded theRobert Burns Fellowship from theUniversity of Otago in 1969 and again in 1974. He was awarded the University of Auckland Literary Fellowship in 1991. In 1999, he was named New Zealand's second Te Mata Poet Laureate. At the end of his two-year term he publishedPiggy Back Moon (2001), which was shortlisted in the 2002Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
Tuwhare was among ten of New Zealand's greatest living artists named asArts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Artists at a ceremony in 2003.
In 2003, Tuwhare was awarded one of the inauguralPrime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement, for poetry. The other winners were novelistJanet Frame and historianMichael King. Each recipient received a cash prize of $60,000 NZD. The awards are aimed at New Zealand writers who have made an outstanding contribution to the nation's literary and cultural history.
Tuwhare received an honorary Doctor of Literature degree fromThe University of Auckland in 2005. At the time of his death Tuwhare was described as "New Zealand's most distinguished Maori writer"*.[10]
In July 2010 the Hone Tuwhare Charitable trust was formed in honour of Tuwhare. Their goal is: "To inspire people through the preservation, promotion, and celebration of Hone’s legacy".[11]
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| Preceded by | New Zealand Poet Laureate 1999–2001 | Succeeded by |
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