← Back to search
Cover of Hori McGory Eats a Moriori

Hori McGory Eats a Moriori

Hori McGory Eats a Moriori is a full-colour rhyming picture book for adults that retells, without apology or sugar-coating, the 1835–1860s genocide of the Moriori people of the Chatham Islands / Rēkohu.In November 1835, two shiploads carrying armed Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama Māori, led by the hungry and ambitious Hori McGory, landed on beaches where the Moriori greeted them with traditional gestures of peace. What followed was not a battle but a systematic slaughter. Bound by Nunuku-whenua’s centuries-old covenant of non-violence, the Moriori refused to fight back. Over the coming weeks and years, almost the entire population was killed outright, worked to death, or eaten. By 1862 fewer than 100 of the original 2,000+ Moriori remained alive, all enslaved. Written in the bright, bouncing cadence of a classic children’s picture book, the text never flinches from the facts: mass killings, ritual cannibalism sanctioned by utu and tikanga, enslavement of children, and the deliberate extinction of a people. The cheerful rhyme only sharpens the horror, forcing the reader to confront a Pacific genocide that New Zealand history has often preferred to whisper about. Equal parts historical record, savage satire, and pitch-black bedtime story, Hori McGory Eats a Moriori is for adults who can stomach their history served raw, rhymed, and mercilessly accurate. It is not for schools, vegans, or anyone who still believes “first contact” was just a friendly haka and a cup of tea.

Genres

Fiction, Historical, GeneralNew Zealand, History

ISBN

9798901485088

Format

Print / Paperback

Contributor

Matua Kahurangi

Author

Matua Kahurangi decided to write this book after a major publishing company sent a takedown notice in regards to a satirical cover he created as a meme. The experience confirmed something he had suspected for a long time. If you want the full truth told, and if you want it told with humour that actually lands, you often need to do it yourself. So he rolled up his sleeves, ignored the gatekeepers, and set out to create a children’s book for adults that treats history with honesty, dark humour, and a bit of bite. Matua is known as a commentator on social issues and politics in New Zealand. His writing is direct, unapologetic, and focused on the parts of public life that many would prefer to quietly sweep under the rug. He believes that satire is one of the most powerful tools for exposing hypocrisy, challenging bad ideas, and reminding people to think for themselves. When he is not writing, he is usually digging through headlines, researching forgotten stories, or poking fun at the political circus that dominates New Zealand life. His work attracts readers who appreciate straight talking commentary without the usual filters. You can read more from Matua at matuakahurangi.com, or follow him on X at @matuakahurangi, where he posts thoughts, updates, and the odd rant for those who enjoy a bit of spice with their realism.