World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Apirana Taylor

アピラナ・テイラー

Apirana Taylor

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1955-03-15 （Wellington）
Nationality
New Zealander
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
Poet, Novelist, Playwright
Active Years
1979-2024
Affiliations
Te Ohu Whakaari, Taki Rua

Awards

Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement
2024
Organization: Government of New Zealand
Result: Winner
Pegasus Prize
1985
Work: He Rau Aroha: A Hundred Leaves of Love
Result: Runner-up
Best Debut Play
Work: Kohanga
Organization: Dominion Post
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Eyes of the Ruru

1979 Poetry

Poetry collection

Māori culture

Soft Leaf Falls of the Moon

1997 Poetry

Poetry collection

NatureMāori

Te Ata Kura: The Red-Tipped Dawn

2004 Poetry

Poetry collection

Māori culture

He Tangi Aroha

1993 Novel

Novel

LoveLoss

Whaea Kairau: Mother Hundred Eater

1995 Play

Seminal Māori theatre work set in late 1840s New Zealand about a dispossessed Irish woman and family.

ColonialismMāoriIdentity

Bibliography

  • Eyes of the Ruru (1979)
  • Soft Leaf Falls of the Moon (1997)
  • Te Ata Kura (2004)
  • He Tangi Aroha (1993)
  • Whaea Kairau (1995)
  • A Canoe in Midstream (2009)
  • Five Strings (2017)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Poetic style reflecting Māori oral traditions
Recurring Motifs
Māori identityNatureLoss

Legacy

New Zealand writer of Pākehā and Māori descent known for poetry, short stories, novels, and plays exploring Māori themes. Awarded Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in 2024.

Trivia

  • Of Pākehā and Māori descent, affiliated with Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, and Ngāti Ruanui.
  • Brother of Rangimoana Taylor and sister Riwia Brown.