When people think of a modern-day tohunga, or expert, Tā Pou Temara is usually high on the list.
The Tūhoe educator is a trusted source of mātauranga on tikanga, te reo Māori and history - from universities around the world to the Waitangi Tribunal
He's come a long way from his upbringing deep in the ngāhere (forest) of the Urewera ranges, but his latest book Te Rautakitahi O Tūhoe ki Ōrākau takes him on a journey through the history of his people.
The Battle of Ōrākau in 1864 was the final stand of the Waikato Wars. The people of Tūhoe were asked by chief Rewi Maniapoto to support his people in the battle against colonial forces.
"People think that Ōrākau, the history of Ōrākau, it's something that we are just discovering and writing about. No, Ōrākau was there when I was a child," Tā Pou said.
"My grandfathers, my granduncles, my kuia, they were talking about it."
His book is an account of Tūhoe involvement in the battle of Ōrākau. In it, Tā Pou estimates 50 men and women from Tūhoe went to Ōrākau, with around half being killed.
"I thought about my own ancestors, my own people, my own tipuna who had died," Tā Pou said.
"I needed to talk about Ōrākau from a Tūhoe point of view. Everything about Ōrakau concerning Tūhoe had been written from a non-Tūhoe point of view."
This book is the latest chapter in the long career of Tā Pou, who was knighted in 2019.
"I have this voracious appetite for knowledge, for going to where I've not been before. I don't allow myself to be static."
He hopes future generations of Tūhoe who read the book are proud of their kuia, of the koroua who went to Ōrākau.
"The book ensures their immortality and if their kuia and koroua live, the descendants will continue to live too."
Made with support from New Zealand On Air and Te Māngai Pāho.
