Hine Toa

An incredible memoir by a trailblazing voice in women’s, queer and Māori liberation movements

***Winner of the general non-fiction award at the the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2025***

In the 1950s, a young Ngāhuia is fostered by a family who believe in hard work and community. Although close to her kuia, she craves more: she wants higher education and refined living. But whānau dismiss her dreams. To them, she is just a show-off, always getting into trouble, talking back and running away.

In this fiery memoir about identity and belonging, Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku describes what was possible for a restless working-class girl from the pā. After moving to Auckland for university, Ngāhuia advocates resistance as a founding member of Ngā Tamatoa and the Women’s and Gay Liberation movements, becoming a critical voice in protests from Waitangi to the streets of Wellington.

‘Extraordinary, vivid, riveting. I learned, I laughed and I wept over this book’ Dame Fiona Kidman

‘Beautifully written and fiercely honest’ Deborah Challinor

‘Brilliant. This timely coming-of-age memoir by an iconic activist will rouse the rebel in us all. I loved it’ Tina Makereti

Author Biography

Ngahuia te Awekotuku (Te Arawa, Tuhoe, Ngapuhi, Waikato) is the first female Maori Emeritus Professor from a university, with degrees from the University of Auckland and University of Waikato. An Emeritus Professor, she has worked as a curator, lecturer, critic, researcher and governor in the heritage and university sectors. She is a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and a Fellow of the Auckland War Memorial Museum. She has returned to the pa, and serves on the Paepae Tapu o Ngati Whakaue. She loves cats and chocolate.