25/05/2026
Congratulations to Professor of Māori Philosophy at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Tā Pou Temara who has, for the second time, been named the winner of Te Mūrau o te Tuhi, the supreme award for reo Māori books, at the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. This year’s award was for his latest work, Te Āhua o Ngā Kupu Whakaari a Te Kooti.
Te Āhua o Ngā Kupu Whakaari a Te Kooti examines the life, visions, and legacy of Te Kooti Te Turuki Rikirangi, both as a leader and as a prophet of the Ringatū faith. Its publication furthered Tā Pou’s decades-long scholarship and contribution to te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.
Tā Pou’s two Ockham New Zealand Book Awards underscore his place among Aotearoa’s most influential Māori academics and writers.
Whakamihi to Tā Pou Temara (Ngāi Tūhoe) KNZM, Māori Queen’s Council of Twelve, professor, and tohunga of Māori language and thought, winner of the Te Mūrau o te Tuhi, Māori Language Award.
Category judge Dr Hone Morris (Ngāi Te Rangitotohu, Ngāti Mārau, Ngāti Maru, Ngāi Te Ao Kāpiti) says: “Ko Te Āhua o Ngā Kupu Whakaari a Te Kooti, he mahi rangahau nui whakahirahira e wānanga ana i te rētōtanga, te mana, me te toitūtanga o ngā kupu whakaari me ngā whakataukī, me te hononga ā-ngākau ki te whakapono, ki te whenua, ki te hītori, me te tangata. He mea whakarite te hanganga o te pukapuka nei ki tētahi tupuna whare hei arataki i te kaipānui mai i te tūāpapa o te whare ki tōna whatumanawa, e whakakitea ana te kupu tapu mā ngā whakataukī, ngā kupu whakaari, ngā waiata, me ngā ingoa o ngā whare nā Te Kooti Arikirangi Turuki i tapa. E whakaatu ana a Tā Pou he tapu atua tō te reo poropiti, he maha ōna paparanga tikanga, ā, he kawenga matatika kei runga i te kawe o aua kupu. Mā tēnei pukapuka ka whakarangatira te reo Māori, ka whakahoki i te mauri o te mātauranga Māori, ā, ka waiho he wāhi mā te kaipānui hei whakaaroaro, hei wānanga, ka mutu, kia ū ki tōna ake māramatanga.”
“Te Āhua o Ngā Kupu Whakaari a Te Kooti is a significant scholarly work that examines the depth, authority, and enduring power of kupu whakaari and whakataukī, and the intimate connections to faith, land, history, and people. Structured metaphorically as a whare tūpuna, the book guides the reader from the foundations of the whare through to its heart, revealing the sacred nature of language through whakataukī, kupu whakaari, waiata, and named houses of Te Kooti Arikirangi Turuki. Tā Pou Temara demonstrates how prophetic language conveys divine tapu, layered meaning, and moral responsibility. This work enriches te reo Māori, restores the mauri of mātauranga Māori, and creates space for readers to reflect, interpret, and arrive at their own understandings.”
Auckland University Press
