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How a motorbike trip sparked a novel set on the Otago

How a motorbike trip sparked a novel set on the Otago

RNZ Newsa day ago

Two years ago, twenty-four graves were exhumed from a property in Lawrence, including one that contained a woman and a young child. The Androssan Street cemetery had been in use since the early days of the goldrush, when Gabriel Read first discovered gold in Otago in the early 1860s. Author Kirsty Powell has imagined the story of the woman in child in a new book called The Strength of Old Shale. Many parts - and characters - in the book are real. She's woven in the stories told to her by Wally Dalziel, a friend she met on motorcycle trips in China, Peru and Turkey. Wally's ancestors worked the goldfields for years, finally buying the farm he continues to run even now. Kirsty's first novel The Strength of Eggshells won the 2020 New Zealand Booklovers Award for best adult fiction.
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Eid Al-Adha celebrated across New Zealand
Eid Al-Adha celebrated across New Zealand

RNZ News

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Eid Al-Adha celebrated across New Zealand

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Bore water near Christchurch Men's Prison returns clear results after diesel leak

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'I felt grateful and ready for the world' - students graduate with qualifications in carving and weaving
'I felt grateful and ready for the world' - students graduate with qualifications in carving and weaving

RNZ News

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'I felt grateful and ready for the world' - students graduate with qualifications in carving and weaving

Graduates Kingi Aupouri and Tawhiri Solomon tempering their taiaha. Photo: Supplied / Te Puia Nine tauira (students) graduated from the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua last week with qualifications in whakairo rākau (wood carving), whakairo pounamu me te wheua (stone and bone carving) and raranga me te whatu (weaving), with an exhibition open at Āhua Gallery to share their taonga. Te Wānanga Whakairo Rākau graduate Kingi Aupouri (Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, Ngāti Tarāwhai, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) was one of three who did the wero in the haka pōhiri with a taiaha he carved and tempered. Graduation was special with his whānau over the moon with happiness, he said. "I loved it, I had a good tangi, they were happy tears, as I felt the moment and reflected on everything that I'd achieved for my whānau and the responsibility ahead with my new journey of carving. It was special to see my nan Emily Schuster's photo on the stage too." Graduate Kingi Aupouri does the wero with the taiaha he carved and tempered. Photo: Supplied / Te Puia The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) operates on-site at Te Puia in Rotorua and is home to: Te Wānanga Whakairo Rākau (National Wood Carving School), Te Takapū o Rotowhio (National Stone and Bone Carving School) and Te Rito o Rotowhio (the National Weaving School). Under the 2020 New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Act, tohunga conferred qualifications are given, with a history going back 99 years since Tā Apirana Ngata set up the original Act of Parliament and wānanga. This allows traditional practices to be taught and passed to a level of excellence. Te Takapū o Rotowhio graduate Maaka Toi, had his father Gordon Toi (a 12th intake Whakairo Rākau graduate) speaking in the proceedings. 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They studied the Taonga Māori Collection at Te Papa and carved their taonga inspired by taiaha from the 1800s. Over four days, for seven hours a day, Aupouri and Solomon tempered their taiaha over open flames of a fire, turning them constantly and letting the flames of the fire lick the rākau (wood) while also working the taiaha with linseed oil, which works as a protectant over the surface of the wood, helping it to not burn. The tempering made the taiaha stronger and lighter with a unique finish. This was the first time this technique had been done by tauira at NZMACI. 2025 New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Graduates and their whānau in front of Te Aronuia-ā-Rua wharenui at Te Puia. Photo: Supplied / Te Puia Speaking to how it feels to see it in the exhibition, Aupouri said he had asked for it to remain uncovered, so people can touch it and feel it. "It's not just visual, but an interactive piece as well because of the tempering and traditional aweawe. I want people to be able to feel how dense the timber is, feel the design on the upoko and touch the aweawe. "Not many are doing this style of aweawe which I saw in the Te Papa Collection, so a big thanks to Te Rito o Rotowhio Tumu Cori Marsters who helped with the materials and method. "I'd also like to acknowledge Layton Robertson who answered our pātai on the process and methodology to temper taiaha." The next intake of tauira takes place on 30 June. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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