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Biography: Tuwhare, Hone

Reading poems

Audio file

In 1964 Hone Tuwhare’s first collection of poems, No ordinary sun, was published to acclaim. As invitations to speak at conferences and festivals flowed in, he began a career as a performer. Here he is shown reading from the collection around 1965. Listen to him read the title poem, a passionate anti-nuclear piece informed by his recollections of the ruins of Hiroshima when he was serving in Japan after the Second World War.

Using this item

New Zealand Herald

Reference: 250208NZHTUWHARE.JPG

Sound file from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision © Estate of Hone Tuwhare. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright. To request a copy of the recording, contact Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision (The best of Saturday morning/Reference number 01/14/13).

Courtesy of the Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust.

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

How to cite this page

Janet Hunt. 'Tuwhare, Hone', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2020. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/speech/29786/reading-poems (accessed 18 June 2026).