The Taken Land (Riro Te Whenua)
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Jo looked deep into his eyes, not fully understanding what he was on about. “You want to go and claim back some of that land. To live there? How the hell do you expect to get away with that? You just can’t do that these days.” She waved her hands in front of his face. “Hello! Wake up, Mannie.” She hesitated momentarily. “We’re in the twenty-first century, for God’s sake, not the eighteenth century.”
“This land—there’s nothing on it but scrub, bush, and wild game,” Mannie went on. “No one lives there. No one even goes there apart from the odd hunter.”
“So what are you proposing, then? I still don’t understand what you’re really getting at.”
“We could build some huts there and live off the land.” He looked at the floor for a second, considering the idea. “We could do it, you know. No one would even know we’re there.”
Jo shook her head, not at all convinced his idea would work. “Geez, Mannie. Get real. We couldn’t do it on our own. And we’ve also got Li to consider. We’d need to have more people than just you, me, and Li. And it wouldn’t be easy either. If you just think about it for a minute you’ll realize just how much work would be involved.”
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About the Book
In South Auckland, New Zealand, Mannie and his wife, Jo, have finally achieved stability. Mannie’s successful job as a carpenter gives the couple hopes for a future home and children. But it’s all about to come tumbling down.
When Wall Street crashes in 2005, the New Zealand economy plunges into a recession. Mannie loses his job and is forced to apply for the unemployment benefit to survive. Worse, he and Jo must take in boarders in order to make the rent. But Mannie soon sees his misfortune as an opportunity to reclaim land in the Tongariro National Park that belonged to his Maori tribe more than one hundred and thirty years ago.
Mannie persuades a small, disillusioned group of young Maori into claiming sovereignty over a small block of land on the side of a mountain, offering freedom and peace in protest against the government. They build huts and live off the land. Mannie and Jo try to find their former happiness, but then tragedy strikes, and Mannie suddenly finds himself in a deadly game of survival.
About the Author
Robin O’Reilly was born in Taumarunui, New Zealand. He did his secondary schooling at Sacred Heart College in Auckland and became a builder and joiner/cabinetmaker. O’Reilly later retrained in architectural drafting, quantity surveying, and project management.