Ongoing impact

A Dutch academic has published a book examining the impact Once Were Warriors has had on NZ culture. Once Were Warriors The Aftermath: The Controversy of Once Were Warriors in Aotearoa New Zealand is written by University of Amsterdam media studies lecturer Emiel Martens. In it, Martens discusses the widespread controversy created by both Alan Duff’s book and Lee Tamahori’s film in relation to wider postcolonial issues such as racial stereotypes, cultural politics, ethnic relations, indigenous media and Maori identity. Said Martens in Wellington’s Dominion Post, “I regard [Once Were Warriors] as a very important movie, well, actually the most important movie in the history of New Zealand cinema, and, together with the novel, the most important cultural expression in New Zealand ever, because of this impact.”