Hinemoana Baker’s first book of poems, Matuhi | Needle (gratefully received from VUP) is immediately appreciated as an extremely beautiful book. Square, hardback, I held it, turned it, flicked through it looking at Ngai Tahu artist Jenny Rendall’s extraordinary, gorgeous art, then checking my watch, thought I’d have time to read a couple of poems.

Some time later, I’d finished it. Then I went back to a few and reread them. Again, and again. Some of it’s obscure, of course (whose mind and soul isn’t?) but intriguingly so, and it’s something about the tone of the poems that make you want to try and decipher the backstory of each.

Some are heart-wrenchingly accessible, such as Today, a snapshot of a visit to an elderly loved one, where each day is a gift despite the loss of dignity and independence:

We had roast pork today
(they write this for her
at Day Care)

and I really enjoyed the custard.

It invoked a painful memory of me taking my frail grandmother on what I grandly imagined would be a last, epic trip to One Tree Hill. Her knee gave out halfway up the steps. I had locked the keys in the car and it began to rain … some Black Power guys who happened to have a bent coathanger in the boot helped us out, bless 'em, but I was mortified at my foolishness. She forgave me, laughed about it …

I forget the pillows.
I crush the wrong thing.

I stand on
her bad side.

She lifts her left arm
Touches my chin with her hand.

Eeek! Nearly made me blub. The poem is finished with an effortless two-line summary of the way ruthless life goes on planning a future the old ones will not see:

The Christmas hangi invites
quicken the whanau phone-tree.

There’s quite a bit of a spiritual/mythical Maori angle in the book (complemented hugely by the art), a bit of a lyrical lesbian angle which is very beautiful, and some small-town reminiscences (‘McDonald’s has just opened in New Plymouth …’). And there’s a CD inside the back cover, with six poems and a song. Her speaking voice is exactly as I imagined, but her song takes everything to another level. Hinemoana’s first full length album, puawai ('blessing') was launched at the same time as this book. It’s just been shortlisted for the 2004 Tui Awards for Best Folk Album.

Yup, this girl is a powerhouse of versatile talent. She first started to write in Zimbabwe, where she lived in 1990, helping to set up a group there called 'Zimbabwe Women Writers'. She came back here, did a BA in Maori and Women’s Studies, then an MA with Bill Manhire. Since then, her writings (fiction, children’s stories, plays) have appeared all over NZ, as has her music. She’s toured nationally several times, sharing the stage with the likes of Hayley Westenra, Hinewehi Mohi, Tyree Robertson and Charlotte Yates. Even so, she’s probably best known for producing her regular Thursday night show on National Radio, Waiata, a showcase for Maori musicians. She’s also written and produced several documentaries for National Radio.

She’s obviously a hard worker, but she struck it lucky as well when she was invited to do a reading with Viggo Mortensen (yes, him, from Lord of the Rings) at a special thank-you-Wellington do instigated by him in 2003. In case you didn’t know, Viggo is also a poet and has his own publishing house in the States, Perceval Press. He has co-published Matuhi | Needle with VUP, so it’s being distributed over there as well.

The book is available in all good bookstores as they say, or from Hinemoana’s website. It retails for an extremely reasonable $29.95. Get it for yourself, or as a gorgeous special pressie for a gorgeous special someone. You’ll be richly rewarded. By the way, Hinemoana will be touring in May to promote both book and CD. Watch this space.