Tim Tipene

16-year-old Jahnine's mother is battling cervical cancer. Her family are convinced that a greenstone (ponamu) patu stolen from a fallen Maori warrior during the New Zealand Wars by Jahnine's great-great-grandfather is the source of a family curse. Jahnine decides that in order to lift the curse and save her mother the patu must be returned to it's rightful place with Maori. A disturbed Maori boy named Andy leads Jahnine into a Maori world that is foreign to both of them - or is it actually show more the patu leading them?

It wasn't until about a third of the way through this book that I started to enjoy it. It covers some themes that will be uncomfortable for some but which I feel are honestly done. Urban Maori's loss of identity and the journey to discover this I found touching. I also appreciated the wonderful sense of welcome and belonging to a community that a marae gives. Unfortunately I didn't feel that the cover was that appealing. We need more of this type of book on our New Zealand library shelves. show less

“To defeat a taniwha, you must strike it in the heart, not scratch it’s skin”

“Your heart is your taiaha, your head is your patu. These are the weapons with which to strike down a taniwha.”

A simple and short story that follows Haki as he, with guidance from a Māori elder, explores his connection to the land and his role as a kaitiaki of Papatūānuku. The taniwha is a stereotypical white developer who is desecrating tapu land. There were a couple of wonderfully powerful moments as show more Haki channels the strength of his iwi's tīpuna. I think it is incredibly important that we have more uplifting stories, like this one, where young Māori are exploring their cultural traditions and values. Inā rawa! show less

When Haki's hurt in a drunken car crash, an old man steals the necklace his grandmother gave him. Later he returns to get her necklace back, but instead finds himself listening to the man's advice on becoming a warrior and defeating a taniwha.

This book was really quite unrelentingly miserable. His friends bully him, his teachers don't notice the bullying, his home is abusive. In context of course this all works. The story portrays excellently the racist microaggressions Haki faces every show more day.

My major problem was that his mother is presented as a woman obsessed about her career at the expense of being a good mother. She is furious that his accident interrupted her meeting. At first she seems to be complicit in the physical abuse his father dishes out; later we discover that she is emotionally abusing the father to make him do it. She has forbidden the entire family from having any contact with the father's mother. She no longer even makes her banana cakes like she used to.

Talking about it with a friend, I remembered that the other villain of the piece, a man, was also presented as villainous for the same obsession with individualism and financial success. So the author, I'm sure, never intended this to be about how having a career makes a woman a bad mother -- but the trope is still there. If only the gender of both villains had been swapped... show less

Patu is the story of Jahnine who is a 16 year old Pakeha girl whose Mum is battling cancer. Jahnine's mum and her grandmother are convinced that their ongoing family troubles are caused by a curse. A patu was taken from a Maori warrior during the land wars. This patu has been in Jahnine's family ever since and is blamed for all their woes. Jahnine decides that in order to save her Mum the patu must be returned to it's rightful place. By chance Jahnine meets a boy named Andy who happens to be show more Maori and asks him for help. Andy has troubles of his own and leads Jahnine on a merry ride as together they find their way to a Maori world that is new and confusing to both of them. Through the journey there is growth and enlightenment for all concerned as well as a new sense of identity.

This novel was incredibly thought provoking for me. The writers agenda could be seen to be to foster greater understanding of Maori history and issues. While this was acheived, at times the lessons were heavy handed. The story also made me rehash my own quest for identity as both Pakeha and Maori.

I really enjoyed this reading this story. It was well written and had me hanging on to find out what would happen next. I felt emotionally connected to the characters and I was anxious for the Patu to end up in the right place. I was scared a couple of times that this would not happen. This book made me laugh and it made me sad. In the end I think the reader finds a sense of peace just as the characters do. show less