Teachers, Kym O’Toole and Whaea Paturiihi, along with students Kiwa Ross (Year 13), Ethan Roberts (Year 9 ), Paikea Cecil (Year 12), Charis Gilbert (Year 12), Kiara Jamison (Year 9), Willem Koning (Year 13), Renee Thomas (Year 11), Jade Kahika (Year 11) and Anika Bailey (Year 12), were all greeted at the gates of the TBC Whare with an awe-inspiring pōwhiri. Our students looked the part in their Pāpāmoa College blazers and sang the waiata with pride.

The event centred around Soutar, a regarded historian and author, whose most recent achievement is a novel called, ‘Kāwai: For Such a Time as This’. It is the first fictional novel to explore pre-colonial New Zealand and was New Zealand’s best-selling novel of 2022. The first book in a trilogy, explores the lives of pre-colonial Māori, depicting this time in vivid realism. 

Monty’s numerous other accolades include the writing of, ‘Ngā Tama Toa- The price of Citizenship: C Company 28’, a non-fiction text, based on the experiences of the 28th Māori Battalion, for which he has appeared on national television several times. He has also been appointed as an officer to the New Zealand Order of Merit, holds a PhD in History, and is a Fellow in Māori History at the Ministry of Culture and Heritage.

Our students learned a number of important and memorable elements of becoming a leader through a variety of gripping tales; none more poignant than those told through the stories of the 28th Māori Battalion. All students in attendance felt empowered, and when the presentation was finished, our students addressed Monty with a range of relevant questions. This was an enjoyable and valuable experience for our students, who got the unique opportunity to interview a leader of notable cultural significance.