First novel by historian Dr. Monty Soutar launched at Rotorua Library

Dr Monty Soutar. Photo / Supplied

There was plenty of excitement and buzz at the Rotorua Library on Wednesday, where the launch of a novel by respected historian Dr Monty Soutar took place.

Kāwai - For Such a Time as This is the first book in the Kāwai series by Dr Monty Soutar, ONZM (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Kahungunu), which tells the story of precolonial Aotearoa New Zealand.

A young Māori man, compelled to learn the stories of his ancestors, returns to his family marae on the East Coast of the North Island to speak to his elderly grand-uncle, the keeper of the stories.

What follows is the enthralling account of the young man's tipuna, the legendary warrior Kaitanga, after whom his marae's whare puni has been named.

Tracing Dr Soutar's own ancestral line, Kāwai reveals a picture of an indigenous Aotearoa in the mid-18th century, through to the first encounters between Māori and Europeans.

It describes a culture that is highly sophisticated with an immense knowledge of science, medicine and religion; proud tribes who live harmoniously within the natural world; a highly capable and adaptable people to whom family and legacy are paramount.

However, it is also a culture illuminated by a brutal undercurrent of intergenerational vengeance, witchcraft and cannibalism.

Monty is a Māori historian with a research background that spans almost 40 years, and the Kāwai series reveals the role of colonisation in shaping Aotearoa New Zealand.

"Although it's a fascinating period, most New Zealanders don't know the rich stories contained in it," Monty says.

"I felt that this story, written from a Māori perspective, would have a greater reach as a novel than as non-fiction."

"I wrote this book to empower and educate readers about New Zealand's past".

Monty says he got the idea in 2019 and started writing in 2020, spending about a year and a half learning how to write a novel, as he had not written a fictional novel before.

"As a historian I'm used to writing fact, so the biggest challenge was making things up, which fiction allows you to do."

He says he had to come to grips with writing about real ancestors and putting words in their mouths and thoughts in their heads. "I found that challenging."

However, having years of research behind him was an advantage as he could pull on this knowledge, Monty says.

"I had in mind young adults or secondary school students when I wrote this as I think the next generation will be really keen to learn more... I'm hoping at some point it will get to them and they will enjoy it."

Monty has already started on the second novel in the Kāwai series and is expecting it to be completed by this time next year.

Published by Bateman Books, 'Kāwai - For Such a Time as This' is being released in September. For more information and to purchase it, go to www.batemanbooks.co.nz.