Shelley Burne-Field had a lot of fun writing her new pukapuka (book) “A Christmas Waiata”. Photo / William Field
Shelley Burne-Field had a lot of fun writing her new pukapuka (book) “A Christmas Waiata”. Photo / William Field
Takapau author Shelley Burne-Field had a lot of fun writing her new pukapuka (book) A Christmas Waiata, which is a Kiwi version of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol.
“I love the themes about showing compassion to others, and also the power that people can really change,” Shelley said.
“In this version, a new character, Aunty Rangi, runs a te kōhanga reo, but over many tough years she has become a bit of a meanie. The question is: will Aunty Rangi find her kind old self again or face the ghostly consequences of being a Scrooge?”
The book will be distributed widely before next Christmas, but this year Shelley wanted to have a local release only.
Will Aunty Rangi find her kind old self again or face the ghostly consequences of being a Scrooge? Photo / William Field
“It’s really a thank you and a nod to the place I was born, Tamatea/Central Hawke’s Bay.
“There are a limited number of copies available from the lovely Mem at Kingfisher Gifts in Waipawa, and the lovely Danielle at Paper Plus in Waipukurau. It’s for general audiences - but it does contain ghosts!”
Over the past few years, Shelley has been celebrating some significant successes. Just last week she was appointed as the Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) and Creative New Zealand Emerging Māori Writer in Residence for 2024.
“The residency is a life-changing gift,” she said. “Imagine a safe space in which to thrive and explore with kupu (words) and ideas? I can’t wait to meet the IIML team. Very exciting.”
A month ago, she also won the Pikihuia Awards 2023 first-ever poetry prize in English, while in 2022 she was the only New Zealand finalist in the Commonwealth Short Story prize.
“I feel very supported, locally, nationally, and internationally, too. But I wouldn’t have been able to write one sentence without the support of my husband, son, and close family, whānau, and friends. So this pukapuka is for them.”
Shelley will be speaking at the the Waipukurau Library on Thursday December 7 as part of the Friends of the Library Christmas event - from 5.30pm -7.30pm - books will be available for sale.
Shelley’s work can be found in books, Hiwa - Contemporary Māori Short Stories, Te Awa o Kupu Collection, Pikihuia Short Stories 14 & 15 and The Best of E-Tangata Volume Two among others. Her first upper middle-grade novel for children will be published by Allen & Unwin in 2024.
