Wiremu Pere has won the biography section of Ngā Kupu Ora 2011, the third Māori Book Awards.

Wiremu Pere wins Ngā Kupu Ora award - news from Libro International

We are honoured to announced that Libro International's 2010 publication Wiremu Pere has won the biography section of Ngā Kupu Ora 2011, the third Māori Book Awards.

Our heartfelt congratulations to Joseph Pere, the book's author, and Alan Haronga, who brought the book to completion through the Wi Pere Trust.

Wiremu Pere: The Life and Times of a Maori Leader, 1837–1915 is the first biography of this seminal East Coast figure.

The judging panel described this book as an “outstanding biography” that was long overdue because Wiremu Pere’s contribution to politics is “often overlooked due to the high profile of other Māori politicians of the time”, including Apirana Ngata.

Commenting on the 2011 winners, the judges commended their contribution to Māori knowledge. “In addition to excellent content and production, each of the winning books advanced our knowledge and understanding in new and different ways,” they said.

The Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Book Awards were established in 2009 by Massey University to mark Māori Language Week and to celebrate and encourage excellence in Māori publishing.

This year's awards will be presented on 29 November at a ceremony at Te Pūtahi-a-toi, Massey University’s School of Māori Studies, in Palmerston North.