Mākaro Press

08/08/2024

It’s here! Haere mai Kataraina!

Congratulations — so stoked for you.

In shops 1 October.

11/07/2024

Becky Manawatu on the power of art to defibrillate our hearts and awaken the taniwha inside us. In particular a play called Scattergun by Ana Scotney.

Becky’s speech at the Auckland Writers Festival 2024.

I made the following as a speech at the Auckland Writer’s Festival. My son and publisher and a group of amazing Wāhine Māori writers were…

03/07/2024

Worth the mahi eh Becky Manawatu! Sally Blundell has written a terrific article for the New Zealand Listener about the surge in books by Māori writers being published overseas. Auē is one of those doing well. It might mention Becky’s book turning up in the hands of Carrie Bradshaw … and the work of our fabulous agent Nadine Rubin Nathan of High Spot Literary.

03/07/2024

Tim Jones is in Ōtepoti talking about his cli fi thriller Emergency Weather. Hear him on Write Stuff on OAR FM Dunedin - Community Access Media in City of Literature Dunedin, New Zealand.

And tomorrow he joins Ōtepoti writers in an event at 5.30pm in the Dunningham Suite Dunedin Public Libraries: A Change in the Weather, The Climate Crisis in Poetry and Fiction.

Listen to this interesting kōrero between Jeff Harford and climate fiction writer, poet and editor, Tim Jones discussing his latest novel Emergency Weather. Thanks OAR FM ❤️

Listen here: https://accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=dfdec962-ab3a-4fb5-b44b-6514527cc1f0

Don’t miss Tim's event tomorrow with Ōtepoti writers Tunmise Adebowale, Kay McKenzie Cooke, Michelle Elvy, Mikaela Nyman, Jenny Powell and Richard Reeve.

🗓Thursday 4 July 2024
⏰from 5:30pm
📍Dunningham Suite, Dunedin Public Libraries

More details here: https://www.cityofliterature.co.nz/whats-on/a-change-in-the-weather-the-climate-crisis-in-poetry-and-fiction?date=2024-07-04

02/07/2024

Auē by Becky Manawatu — a new classic, says the fabulous Tilly Lloyd on the groovy new Kete Books website. Proud to be on your list, Tilly. And right at the top of the photo.

📗Book lover Tilly Lloyd trawls her bookshelf to explore the best New Zealand fiction published since 2000.

📖Read her predictions for 25 new, New Zealand classics on our brilliant, brand new site!

When you think of classic fiction from Aotearoa you might think of works by Janet Frame and Keri Hulme, works published last century. But what about New Zealand fiction published in the last 20 or 25 years?

🔗Link from the comments.
Te Herenga Waka University Press
Bateman Books
Huia Publishers
Penguin Books NZ
Mākaro Press
Unity Books Wellington
Unity Books Auckland

30/06/2024

How wonderful is this? The French and English editions of Auē intersect thanks to bilingual Wellington author Mia Farlane.

Auē (Mākaro Press) by Becky Manawatu is now available for loan 🙂 in France 📚 at the Bibliothèque municipale de Lille!
Plus its translation 'Bones Bay' (Au Vent des Îles ⎮ Océanie), la traduction par David Fauquemberg.
PS: yes, that's a handwritten review of Auē. Link explains 🔻

18/06/2024

Introducing the cover for KATARAINA by Becky Manawatu. Artwork by Penny Howard and design by Mākaro Press.

11/06/2024

Kataraina by Becky Manawatu, the much-anticipated sequel to Auē, is out in October.

29/05/2024

Very cool to receive copies of three of our novels translated into Turkish by the wonderful team at New Human Publishing Yeni İnsan Yayınevi.

All three received the MitoQ Best First Novel Award at the Ockhams in 2019, 2020 and 2021. They are Victory Park by Rachel Kerr, The Sound of Breaking Glass by Kirsten Warner and Auē by Becky Manawatu. Check them out 🙂

27/05/2024

Becky Manawatu is one of three thrilling storytellers appearing in “Crimes by the Coast” in her hometown of Westport this Friday 31 May. Her first local event since Auē launched nearly five years ago.

She appears with fellow writers Caroline Barron and Roger Simpson in what will be a fantastic evening. A Ngaio Marsh Awards event organised by Craig Sisterson and Buller District Libraries.

Koha entry, refreshments served.

The Ngaio Marsh Awards, in association with Buller District Libraries and the NBS Theatre, invites booklovers to a thrilling evening of criminally good conversation with three acclaimed Kiwi storytellers.

Crime writing has come a long way since Agatha Christie and our own Ngaio Marsh were intriguing readers with whodunnit murder mysteries in the Golden Age. Nowadays, tales run the gamut from puzzling entertainments to deep-dives into people, place, and human psychology. Not just the investigation of crimes and violence but stories exploring its rippling impact on characters and society.
Ngaios-winning Westport author Becky Manawatu is joined by award-winning Northland memoirist and author Caroline Barron and leading TV screenwriter-producer and novelist Roger Simpson to discuss how they craft compelling storylines, and bring characters and settings to life on the page while exploring real-life issues.

WHEN: Friday 31 May 2024

WHERE: NBS Theatre, 105 Palmerston Street, Westport
WHEN: 6.00 pm

Entry by koha.
Refreshments provided

17/05/2024

And here’s Becky Manawatu last weekend at Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival. Reading from Kataraina and from her “Insta” poems at a Late Night Lit event, with Madeleine Slavick Lee Murray, Tayi Tibble and Mary McCallum.

She also appeared with Mary in a wonderfully wide-ranging session alongside Marian Evans of Spiral Collectives – publisher of the bone people by Keri Hulme – and translator Francesca Benocci, discussing the various iterations of Auē and the bone people: film, TV, audiobook, graphic novel and in translation, and a sequel for Auē in the form of Kataraina, out in October.

17/05/2024

Becky Manawatu has a busy time at literary festivals this month, talking about her new book Kataraina months before we launch! Wonderful to see her out around the motu again and to see the excitement around her new book (we’re excited!).

Here she is at Auckland Writers Festival this week — one of eight international storytellers at the Gala Night speaking on “Choices and Chain Reactions”.

Becky was the last speaker and the audience was rivetted – she totally rocked it with a speech that was deeply personal and deeply political, moving and funny, about the arts and what they mean to her and what they do for us all in helping us navigate our lives and what they should mean to the government of this country.

She was joined on stage by an incredible line-up of writers all of whom delivered in so many different ways : Selina Tusitala Marsh, Abraham Verghese, Paul Lynch, Elizabeth Acevedo, Paul Flanagan Michael Bennett and Viet Tanh Nguyen.

Miriam McDowell was MC. Publisher Mary McCallum and Becky’s son Maddox Manawatu were in the audience.

A brilliant night. All credit to the new festival artistic director Lyndsey Fineran and her team.

This evening (Friday) Becky is on a panel with Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson and on Sunday with Trent Dalton.

28/04/2024

Welcome back Becky Manawatu! Here she is on RNZ Culture 101 talking about Kataraina, the companion book to Auē, out in October. And about her fast favourites in the arts: Ruby Mae Hinepunui Solly, Bub Bridger, Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival 2024, Auckland Writers Festival, the Blackball Festival and the music of her old school friend Mel Parsons.

It’s rare for an Aotearoa New Zealand writer to appear at book festivals about a novel, months out from its release. But then the sequel to a book as beloved and devastating as 2019’s Auē by Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu) is no small event. As Auckland Writers Festival has aptly put it, Westport b...

27/04/2024

Becky Manawatu is on RNZ’s Culture 101 at lunchtime today talking about her new novel Kataraina and her fast faves in the arts. Her appearances at Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival 2024 and Auckland Writers Festival too.

It’s rare for an Aotearoa New Zealand writer to appear at book festivals about a novel, months out from its release. But then the sequel to a book as beloved and devastating as 2019’s Auē by Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu) is no small event. As Auckland Writers Festival has aptly put it, Westport b...

23/04/2024

A book event in Becky Manawatu’s hometown! Becky is a Ngaio Marsh award winner for Auē and she joins visiting author Caroline Barron and local producer/writer Roger Simpson to talk all things crime. An exciting evening and it’s koha entry!

21/04/2024

So good to see Becky Manawatu back at Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival — last time she was there Auē had just won the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize. This time we talk about Auē sequel Kataraina and explore the other offshoots of Auē and discuss the other amazing West Coast author Keri Hulme and the bone people.

Tickets at eventfinda

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: BECKY MANAWATU

Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu) was born in Nelson, raised in Waimangaroa, and lived in Germany and Italy before returning to the West Coast with her family. Her first novel 'Auē' was the winner of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction 2020, the MitoQ Best First Book of Fiction 2020 and the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel 2020.

Becky joins us for A PLACE TO CALL HOME: LATE NIGHT LIT (SOLD OUT) & THE PICTURES IN OUR HEADS: NEW LIFE FOR AUĒ AND THE BONE PEOPLE.

27/03/2024

West Coasters rock! Yeah Becky Manawatu, yeah Keri Hulme. We are all hanging out for Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival to hear about Kataraina (the sequel to Auē) and the other iterations of Auē and The Bone People. See you there Spiral Collectives! See you there e hoa mā.

THE PICTURES IN OUR HEADS: NEW LIFE FOR AUĒ AND THE BONE PEOPLE

Saturday 11 May 2024 1:30pm – 2:30pm, Kiwi Hall, Featherston

The debut novels by West Coast writers Keri Hulme (The Bone People) and Becky Manawatu (Auē) are modern classics. Now both books are being transformed into a variety of media and translated around the world, and Auē is soon to have a sequel: Kataraina. What are the challenges of re-creating characters like Ārama and Kerewin in drawings and moving pictures and writing their stories with different words? Are they the same or do they take on a life of their own? Auē publisher Mary McCallum Author talks with author Becky Manawatu, translator Francesca Benocci, and Marian Evans of Spiral Collective , who first published The Bone People.

Tickets on sale at Eventfinda. Link in comments.

06/03/2024

Ten years ago Harriet Rowland died, just days after we launched The Book of Hat, which Peter Jackson described as ‘funny, truthful and wise’ and which went on to win a Storylines Notable Book Award, and to be awarded runner-up for the Ashton Wylie Award 2015 and shortlisted for the NZ Book Awards for Children and the Lianza Elsie Locke Award. It was also translated into Turkish and sold in Singapore to raise funds for osteosarcoma research — the cancer that she suffered from.

It is hard to compute that ten years have passed since this amazing young woman left us. She lived her short life to the full and we mean LIVED. It was such a privilege to work with Hat and we continue to be inspired by her. Mary and Paul

———

The judges’ report, NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2015:
“Originally a collection of blog posts that track Harriet’s (Hat’s) life with cancer. So intense, yes, raw and poignant, yes, insanely sad and intimate, yes, but tragic this is not. Hat’s voice is honest, intelligent, alive; and connects with teen and adult readers deeply. A superbly crafted piece of writing that is luminous in its economy; and the cover, overall design and excellent editing all resonate perfectly with the writing. Harriet’s life, as short as it was, was blessed in many ways. We, her readers, are doubly blessed to be able to share in it.”

01/02/2024

Another print run of Auē has landed, taking us to not much short of 30,000 copies. And that’s just in Aotearoa. Keep flying, pukapuka! The long-awaited sequel, Kataraina, will join you soon.

Ngā mihi nui to author Becky Manawatu, for her genius and mahi; cover artist Penny Howard, whose ataahua tūī have graced the cover for five years; Text Publishing, who sell copies of Auē around the world; and High Spot Literary, who sell the rights for us.

23/01/2024

We couldn't be more thrilled that Auē is part of the 2024 mahi for award-winning Caravan Carpark Films (Uproar, When Bob Came). Becky Manawatu is one of four writers for the project along with Angela Cudd, Ainsley Gardener and Caitlin Fremaux. The amazing Angela Cudd approached us when Auē was barely out of the blocks and here they are deep into turning it from book to TV series. Check out all the other fantastic Caravan Carpark projects too. Ka rawe!

20/12/2023

Happy Christmas and relaxing holidays to you all. 2023 has been a quiet year for Mākaro titles but next year: ‘Kataraina’ by Becky Manawatu.

Mary and Paul.

19/12/2023

Moe mai rā, e te rangatira. Moe mai rā.

Renée’s funeral can be watched on this link: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTcwMjM2NzE5OTI4NTU0NiZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==

16/12/2023

Renée’s obituary in the Post, the hard copy! With link below.

Grateful to Murray Lynch at for his help with the theatre facts, Warwick Rasmussen of the Post for giving the obituary the space he did, and reporter André Chumko for his support.

The funeral is at 2pm, Monday, 18 December at Wilson Funeral Home, Adelaide Road, Newtown.

https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/350130618/trailblazing-writer-carved-out-special-place-nz-literary-history

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16/12/2023

Renée’s obituary in the Post, the hard copy! With link below.

Grateful to Murray Lynch at Playmarket New Zealand for his help with the theatre facts, Warwick Rasmussen of the Post for giving the obituary the space he did, and reporter André Chumko for his support.

The funeral is at 2pm, Monday, 18 December at Wilson Funeral Home, Adelaide Road, Newtown.

https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/350130618/trailblazing-writer-carved-out-special-place-nz-literary-history

16/12/2023

Renée’s obituary in The Post.

Renée was one of Aotearoa’s notable writers – a playwright, novelist, poet, short-story writer, essayist and blogger – and an esteemed writing teacher and mentor.

13/12/2023

Moi mai rā: Tributes to Renée. Thank you Claire Mabey at The Spinoff. Some marvellous stories here. Love Patricia Grace's story about travelling with Renée in Europe on their speaking tour – racing for the trains and laughing and laughing. It's hard to think we'll never hear that laugh again.

Members of Aotearoa's literary and arts communities remember the beloved, trailblazing writer.

12/12/2023

A marvellous piece on the one and only Renee. Thanks Claire Mabey at The Spinoff.

11/12/2023

Our beloved Renée – wahine toa, notable playwright and author, esteemed writing teacher and mentor, much loved mother and grandmother to her sons and moko, and dear friend to us at Mākaro Press and The Cuba Press – died in Wellington this evening, 11 December, aged 94.

Her plays were among the first to put women
centre stage, and her fiction did the same thing on the page. She described herself as ‘a le***an feminist with socialist working-class ideals’ and she was a pioneer in writing about working-class women, takatāpui and Māori.

Renée (Ngāti Kahungunu) began writing seriously at the age of 50 and used just her first name as a professional name, saying it was the only one she felt was hers. She wrote ten books of fiction and a memoir, over twenty plays, numerous short stories and essays and, for ten years, a weekly blog. Her best known work is “Wednesday To Come”, a play about the women in a working-class family coping in the Depression, which is famously set around a coffin and includes scones being baked on stage. It was performed for the first time at Downstage in Wellington in 1984.

A lifelong fan of crime fiction, Renée published her first crime novel, The Wild Card, with The Cuba Press when she turned 90, and the sequel, Blood Matters, three years later. Both were shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Awards and published in the UK by Joffe Books.

Renée was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006, for services to literature and drama; and she was awarded the Ngā Tohu ā Tā Kingi Ihaka in 2013, for a lifetime contribution to ngā toi Māori, and the Playmarket Award in 2017, for a significant artistic contribution to theatre in New Zealand. In 2018 she received the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Fiction, from Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

In 2021, at the age of 92, Renée was invited to deliver the annual Read NZ Te Pou Muramura Pānui, and she spoke about a lifetime of reading. She described losing her eyesight to macular degeneration in her eighties as a tragedy because it stopped her doing what she loved most.

Until shortly before her death, Renée continued to be an active force in the literary world, writing and publishing work; teaching and mentoring other writers; and presenting at literary events in New Zealand, and overseas via videocall.

Renée lived in Ōtaki until October 2023, moving to a Wellington retirement home. She is survived by two of her three sons, Christopher and Timothy, and her mokopuna. Details of the funeral have yet to be announced.

03/12/2023

It's all about the cows! An essay on the making of Auē by Becky Manawatu is in the fascinating and provocative tell-all about publishing called "Everything I Know About Books" published by Whitireia Publishing and it's been reproduced on Kete Books.

https://www.ketebooks.co.nz/all-book-reviews/everything-i-know-about-books?fbclid=IwAR1nrK5byGKFfEAg579hSACCvEP8nT1uh0ttmFYDA84_6rcEFwEakUpSOto

Mary McCallum explains how she came to publish Becky Manawatu’s award-winning novel Auē! in this collection of 70 candid, funny, thought-provoking and powerful pieces from leading writers, poets, publishers, booksellers, festival makers, artists, reviewers, editors and more, in Everything I Know ...

27/11/2023

Uruguay edition of Auē by .

Thanks to our agent for making this happen; for publishing Becky’s book; and translator Rosario Lázaro Igoa for her work.

The translation is into Rioplatense Spanish, also known as River Plate or Argentine Spanish. It is a dialect of Spanish spoken mainly in and around the Rio de la Plata Basin, which straddles the border between Argentina and Uruguay.

An essay about the translation is here: https://ausit.org/blog/a-novel-in-english-with-maori-translated-into-rioplatense-spanish/

Exciting!

Posted • ✨Cover reveal ✨ Here is the beautiful Uruguay edition of AUĒ by Becky Manawatu translated from the Wnglish by Rosario Lázaro Igoa and published by Forestera