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A Fire in Your Belly: Māori Leaders Speak, Paul Diamond (2003)

What makes a Māori leader? Are there common patterns? This book focusses on six outstanding people who have united, mobilised and led large and diverse groups of Māori through great change.

Publication details

Diamond, P. A Fire in Your Belly: Māori Leaders Speak. Wellington: Huia Publishers, 2003.

About the book

Paul Diamond (Ngāti Haua, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) writes “When Ngāi Tūhoe leader John Rangihau asked a group of Māori students to define mana, they said it was to do with kawa and tikanga. He disagreed and told the students mana was about knowing when things needed to change and having the courage to do something about it.”  The six leaders featured in A Fire in Your Belly all illustrate this leadership wisdom.  

Tipene O’Regan, Sir Robert Mahuta, Iritana Tawhiwhirangi, Professor Hirini Mead, Professor Whatarangi Winiata and Dr Pita Sharples speak of their lives, their influences and their challenges. Written in a highly accessible style, this book is also a collection of compelling and often entertaining reminiscences about the lives of six remarkable New Zealanders. Diamond has written a book to inspire future Māori leaders.

Paul Diamond has worked for Māori and mainstream print and broadcast media; has produced radio features on Māori topics for RNZ National; is a researcher and writer and is currently Curator Māori at Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington.

Further information 

This publication is part of the series Te Takarangi: Celebrating Māori publications - a sample list of 150 non-fiction books produced by a partnership between Royal Society Te Apārangi and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga.