Pakiaka, the lean, essential debut volume by
Gabrielle Huria, is a timely reminder of how good
poetry can be at storytelling. The stories Huria
tells are local and cosmic, firmly rooted in Ngāi
Tahu whakapapa and Te Waipounamu history
but always attuned to the wide, interconnected
world. These are accounts of stolen land and
agricultural negligence, but also of tradition,
connection, kaitiakitanga, birds, eels, rivers and
winds. Of sharing kai and responsibilities. These
are poems that scoff at our complacencies and
ask a vital question: ‘Is this what Māori women
do? Carry the world on their backs?’