Monty Soutar
The Kāwai Series: bringing history to life through fiction

Sunday 21 September, 11.30am–12.30pm
Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery
Presales $15 | Door sales $20

Dr Monty Soutar ONZM (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Kahungunu) is a teacher, historian, former soldier, and researcher with nearly 40 years’ experience. He has worked across education, government, museums, and iwi, and has had rare access to tribal and family manuscripts. In 2015, he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and historical research. He serves on the Waitangi Tribunal and is the author of Whītiki Whiti Whiti E! and the award-winning Ngā Tama Toa – major works on Māori participation in the World Wars. 

In 2021, Monty received the Michael King Writer’s Fellowship to write the Kāwai series. The first two novels, For Such a Time as This and Tree of Nourishment, both topped the NZ Fiction bestsellers list.

Dr Soutar will provide insights into the writing of Kāwai and reflect on how fiction can play a role in connecting people to history.