Join Dr Rowan Light and Candice Tutauha as they discuss her debut novel, Rua, and its connections to the New Zealand Wars collections held at Auckland Museum.
TUE 27 OCT, 6PM - 7.30PM
PAY WHAT YOU CAN, BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL
ORIENTATION SPACE, GROUND FLOOR
As we look towards He Rā Maumahara, the national day of commemoration for the New Zealand Wars, join us for a special book launch for Rua, the first in an upcoming trilogy of novels by Candice Tutauha. Rua tells the story of a young wahine Maori with dreams of leaving her community to pursue a writing career overseas, but a day ending in tragedy and the discovery a soldier's diary from the Taranaki Wars threatens this future.
Candice will join Dr Rowan Light in conversation, recounting how a diary held in Auckland Museum's collection inspired parts of the novel, how this led Candice to dive further into this dark chapter in New Zealand's colonial history and what this project has meant to her as someone whose whakapapa runs to Taranaki.
After the event, you are welcome to join the speakers in Atarau: Stories of the New Zealand Wars on Level 2, for further conversation and questions.
Rua will be available for purchase at this event, with Candice there to sign your copy.
Meet the speakers
Candice Tutauha
Candice Tutauha (Ngāti Ruanui, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi) is a Māori writer from Aotearoa New Zealand whose work explores identity, whānau, disability and the ties between past and present. She holds a Master of Creative Writing with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland and has undertaken research connected to the Taranaki Wars. Living with XLH, Candice is passionate about creating stories that centre disabled Māori protagonists and underrepresented voices. Rua is her debut novel.
Dr Rowan Light
Historian Dr Rowan Light is Project Curator for the New Zealand Wars at Auckland Museum, and Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. Rowan researches the Museum's collections relating to the foundational conflicts between Māori and British imperial and colonial forces in the 19th century. As a historian, Rowan is interested in how communities and societies make sense of violence and how conflict is remembered through objects and taonga.
For this event we’re inviting you to set the price for your ticket yourself and pay what you can to participate. You can enter any amount and book up to four tickets at this amount.
Any contribution will enable the development and preservation of collections, the delivery of new exhibitions, important research, and exciting educational programmes. It will also ensure the continued restoration of the historic Museum building, a touchstone for remembrance and home to sacred taonga.
Thank you for supporting Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Twilight Tuesday
Take in the relaxed atmosphere as the whole Museum is open for you to wander, every Tuesday evening until 8.30PM. Grab a drink and a bite at Tuitui Museum Bistro & Café, check out our special exhibition and wander the galleries.