It is a coming of age story set in Taranaki, following a group of boys who must navigate the challenges of a society and systems set against them while evading agencies like Oranga Tamariki.
The book was initially written for an adult audience but is now taught in senior secondary schools throughout New Zealand.
Ngarewa purposefully writes stories about characters and points of views that he felt he never had access to when growing up.
He struggled to connect to content taught in his classes and grew to hate school altogether.
He was even kicked out of his kōhanga reo by his own aunties.
“When I was little my mum used to drive me to the school gates and the teacher would carry me from the car, still in my pyjamas,” Ngarewa said.
As a school leaver, he began his career as a cage fighter and it was through a moment while cutting weight before a fight that inspired him to give writing novels a go.
Ngarewa said in “deprived, delusionary state after four days with no food and water I picked up a book, which was terrible, and decided I could do better”.
He has since written a second novel, Pātea Boys, set in his hometown and intended for a younger audience, told through a collection of short stories in both English and te reo Maori.
His third novel, The Last Living Cannibal, is a historical fiction set in 1940s Taranaki about the last survivor of the New Zealand Land Wars.
“It’s about a group of people who’ve never had a book written about them,” Ngarewa said.
The novel is set to be released on September 30, 2025 and will be available in both English and te reo Maori.
Ngarewa will speak on September 21, 2025 between 3pm and 4pm at Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery. Pre-sale tickets are available now online at www.literaryfestival.co.nz and more may be available at door sales if the event does not sell out.
