While there was a low-key, relaxed vibe as WORD Christchurch was slowly winding down on Sunday afternoon, the TSB Space at Tūranga was full with an eclectic crowd ready to hear from New Zealand gem, Becky Manawatu (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha). In a stirring and spine-tingling moment, Manawatu and Nic Low (Ngāi Tahu), an incredible author in his own right, were respectfully clapped onto the stage. Low began by expressing his privilege and pleasure to be able to chat with his friend here today, and predicted that this would be the juiciest session of the festival!
Manawatu’s first novel, Auē, won three prestigious awards, including the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize and the Best Crime Novel in the Ngaio Marsh Awards, and is considered widely as a modern New Zealand classic. Kataraina, the sequel to Auē, was published in New Zealand last year, and in the U.S. and the U.K this year.
Staying with the Te Au family
After completing Auē, a niggling feeling remained that she had more work to do, in particular with Kataraina. We only see her in the first novel through Ārama, how he perceives her and how he cannot understand her, being a child himself. There was a definite sense of unfinished business.
Kataraina herself
Writing about Kataraina in Auē as a ghost-like character, she was still incredibly important to Manawatu. She uses a whole range of personalities to survive in the world. Sometimes it’s to her detriment, at others it’s the only way she gets through. It is also utterly exhausting covering all the people she has to be; different versions of herself to the different people in her life. In Kataraina, she is going through the process of looking at each of these versions of herself, in an attempt to reconcile them all. While at the end of Auē she almost has no personality at all, completely drained by her circumstances, in Kataraina she is more vibrant. More ready for a fight.
“She was a woman I know, someone I recognise.”
Survival and denial
Survival is a lot about compartmentalising, Manawatu explains. It’s too much for someone to comprehend and deal with. It’s a way of surviving, and what Kataraina is doing. She is also in denial a lot, as this helps make it feel like it’s something she can get through.
Time as a braided river
In Kataraina the story is not told in a linear way. Most of the chapters are time stamped in relation to “when the girl shot the man” (spoiler alert: where Auē ends), and time jumps from before and after this day. In trying to figure out a moment where it all went wrong (whether this is possible or not is a different matter), Kataraina needs to look back at the different moments in her life that lead to where she is now. Remembering these moments in a non-linear way seemed more natural. She is experiencing intergenerational trauma on top of the other traumatic events from her life, including the domestic abuse, which impacts how she looks back at her life. Telling Kataraina’s story this way felt more authentic and true to her.
Keeping safe
Manawatu spent four years on Kataraina. Low remarked that that is a long time to spend in such company, and wondered how she kept herself buoyant and safe. She explained that if her work doesn’t feel intense, it does not draw her. It needs to be that way to keep her captivated, to keep her engaged and writing. She also knew how to step away from the project when needed. And buoyant? She is the least buoyant person in her family!
Lessons
Since Auē was published, Manawatu now has higher expectations of herself. She wants to grow. Another surprising thing she learnt was that the book stays the same, stays in one place as one thing, but she continues to grow, learn, and move on.
“I didn’t realise that the book stays the same, but you continue to grow.”
Māori Writing
As more Māori writing is published, the wider range of stories are being told, reflecting the varied experiences of what it is to be Māori. And this means freedom.
Although Manawatu feels excited that more of these stories are getting published, she also feels that overseas publishers are wanting a “particular type of book” from a Māori author. (Read: Once Were Warriors). Another problem is that when we read Pākehā books with violence we don’t think of it as a cultural thing, but rather as “it’s just those characters.” This is not the case with Māori stories. A wider range of Māori writers and stories is needed.
The inevitable audience question: is there a new book?
Yes! Well, at least she is writing something now. Working on the first draft with the hope it will be done in four. This story is not connected to the Te Au family, and is set on the West Coast. News that elicited hope amongst her fans!
Find out more
- Find titles by Becky Manawatu in the catalogue
- Find titles by Nic Low in the catalogue
- Browse our WORD Christchurch 2025 page
- Visit the WORD Christchurch website
- Follow WORD Christchurch on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok
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