Hone Peneamine Anatipa Te Pona Tūwhare (21 October 1922 – 16 January 2008) was a noted

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

New Zealand poet This page is a list of New Zealand poets. A–E F–M N–Z See also *New Zealand literature * List of New Zealand writers External links *Poetry New Zealand' magazineThe Catlins in the Southland region of New Zealand, where he lived for the latter part of his life.

Early years

Tūwhare was born in Kaikohe, Northland, into the Ngāpuhi tribe (hapu Ngati Korokoro, Ngati Tautahi, Te Popoto, Te Uri-o-Hua). Following the death of his mother, his family shifted to Auckland, where Hone attended primary schools in Avondale, Mangere and Ponsonby. He apprenticed as a boilermaker with the New Zealand Railways and took night classes in Mathematics, Trade Drawing and Trade Theory at Seddon Memorial Technical College (1939–41) and Otahuhu College (1941). Tūwhare spoke

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 the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

Poetry career

Starting in 1939, Tūwhare, encouraged by fellow poet R.A.K. Mason, began to write while working as an apprentice at the Otahuhu Railway Workshops. In 1956, Tūwhare 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 Tūwhare'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 distinctly

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 Tūwhare became involved in

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 of ''Was wirklicher ist als Sterben'' in 1985. While his earlier poems were kept in print, new work was constantly produced. Tūwhare'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), and ''Shape-Shifter'' (1997). In 1999 he was named New Zealand's second Te Mata

Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ...

, the outcome of which was the publication ''Piggy-Back Moon'' (2002). The poet moved to Kaka Point in

South Otago South Otago lies in the south east of the South Island of New Zealand. As the name suggests, it forms the southernmost part of the geographical region of Otago. The exact definition of the area designated as South Otago is imprecise, as the area is ...

in 1992, and many of his later poems reflected the scenery of The Catlins area, and the seafood available. He had a strong working relationship with fellow Otago artist

Ralph Hotere Hone Papita Raukura "Ralph" Hotere (11 August 1931 – 24 February 2013) was a New Zealand artist. He was born in Mitimiti, Northland and is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most important artists. In 1994 he was awarded an honorary do ...

, and their work often referenced each other. Tūwhare's poem "Rain" was in 2007 voted New Zealand's favourite poem by a clear margin. Poetry by Tūwhare was included in ''UPU,'' a curation of Pacific Island writers’ work which was first presented at the Silo Theatre as part of the

Auckland Arts Festival Formerly known as Auckland Festival, Auckland Arts Festival or is an annual arts and cultural festival held in Auckland, New Zealand. The Festival features works from New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia and beyond, including world premieres of new wor ...

in March 2020. ''UPU'' was remounted as part of the

Kia Mau Festival The Kia Mau Festival, previously called Ahi Kaa Festival, is a biennial performing arts festival in Wellington, New Zealand. In te reo Māori, kia mau is "a call to stay - an invitation to join us". The festival covers Māori, Pasifika and in ...

in Wellington in June 2021.

Recognition and awards

Tūwhare was awarded the Robert Burns Fellowship from the University 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 published ''Piggy Back Moon'' (2001), which was shortlisted in the 2002

Montana New Zealand Book Awards The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are literary awards presented annually in New Zealand. The awards began in 1996 as the merger of two literary awards events: the New Zealand Book Awards, which ran from 1976 to 1995, and the Goodman Fielder W ...

. Tūwhare was among ten of New Zealand's greatest living artists named as Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Artists at a ceremony in 2003. In 2003, Tūwhare was awarded one of the inaugural

Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement is a New Zealand literary award established in 2003 by the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand), the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government. Each ...

, for poetry. The other winners were novelist

Janet Frame Janet Paterson Frame (28 August 1924 – 29 January 2004) was a New Zealand author. She was internationally renowned for her work, which included novels, short stories, poetry, juvenile fiction, and an autobiography, and received numerous awar ...

and historian Michael 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. Tūwhare received an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from

The University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

in 2005. At the time of his death Tūwhare was described as "New Zealand's most distinguished Maori writer"*.

Hone Tūwhare Charitable Trust

In July 2010 the Hone Tūwhare Charitable trust was formed in honour of Tūwhare. Their goal is: "To inspire people through the preservation, promotion, and celebration of Hone’s legacy".Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust website

Works

*''No Ordinary Sun'', Auckland, Blackwood and Janet Paul, 1964 *''Come Rain Hail'', Dunedin, University of Otago, 1970 *''Sapwood and Milk'', Dunedin, Caveman Press, 1972 * ''Something Nothing'', Dunedin, Caveman Press, 1973 * ''Making a Fist of It'', Dunedin, Jackstraw Press, 1978 * ''Selected Poems'', Dunedin, McIndoe, 1980 * ''Year of the Dog''. Dunedin, McIndoe, 1982 * ''Was wirklicher ist als Sterben'', Straelen, Straelener-Ms.-Verl, 1985 * ''Mihi: Collected Poems'', Auckland, Penguin, 1987 * ''Short Back & Sideways'', Auckland, Godwit, 1992 * ''Deep River Talk: Collected Poems'', Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 1994 * ''Shape-Shifter'', Wellington, Steele Roberts, 1997 * ''Piggy-back Moon'', Auckland, Godwit, 2001 * ''Oooooo......!!!'', Wellington, Steele Roberts, 2005 * ‘’ Friend ‘’,Whangarei, Noah

References

External links

Hone Tūwhare
– full-length documentary available on NZ On Screen
Biography of Hone Tūwhare
as well as links to relevant television appearances and programmes on NZ On Screen
Tūwhare's biography on Poetry International Web

Timeline of Hone Tūwhare

New Zealand Herald - Tributes flow for Poet and Playwright Hone Tūwhare
* from the ''

Dictionary of New Zealand Biography The ''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography'' (DNZB) is an encyclopedia or biographical dictionary containing biographies of over 3,000 deceased New Zealanders. It was first published as a series of print volumes from 1990 to 2000, went online i ...

''
Website for Hone Tūwhare Charitable Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuwhare, Hone 1922 births 2008 deaths Ngāpuhi people Te Uri-o-Hau people New Zealand Poets Laureate New Zealand male poets People from Otago People from the Catlins People from Kaikohe New Zealand Māori writers People educated at Otahuhu College 20th-century New Zealand poets 20th-century New Zealand male writers