James Waerea
James Waerea (1940 – 2019) was a New Zealand Māori cartoonist, author and illustrator of Ngati Kahungunu and Te Arawa descent. While Waerea was a primary school teacher, he began writing and illustrating the series of children's books Pukunui. There were four books in the series.
James Waerea
- Born
- 1940
- Died
- 2019
- Occupation
- cartoonist
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James Waerea (1940 – 2019) was a New Zealand Māori cartoonist, author and illustrator of Ngati Kahungunu and Te Arawa descent. While Waerea was a primary school teacher, he began writing and illustrating the series of children's books Pukunui. There were four books in the series.
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wikidata · Q62390129 · wikipedia · James Waerea
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In 2009 an American animation company began republishing his books. He was cartoonist for New Zealand Truth from 1991, his last cartoons appearing in the early 2000s. Diamond notes that Waerea called 'Maori to account' but his cartoons deployed 'a whimsical humour' which defused 'tension around sensitive issues'. Waerea died in 2019.
• Pukunui (1976) • Pukunui and his friend Moata Moa (1981) • Pukunui the astronaut (1982) • Pukunui's hangi (1986)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1940
James Waerea born.
2019
James Waerea died.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Pukunui children's books go global. Radio New Zealand. 2009-12-03.
- 2.Waerea, James, 1940-2019. tiaki.natlib.govt.nz.
- 3.Diamond, Paul. Savaged to suit : Māori and cartooning in New Zealand. New Zealand Cartoon Archive, Alexander Turnbull Library. 169–170. 2018. 9780992247706.
- 4.James Waerea New Zealand Cartoon Archive. www.cartoons.org.nz.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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