The Dark Side of the Garden

This book looks at the early years of Phyllis Bhana and the challenges she faced from racial discrimination and segregation that was rife in Pukekohe. The Dark Side of the Garden is the confronting story of what it was like to grow up Maori in Pukekohe. Living in the market gardens and attending the Pukekohe Native School that purported to help Maaori children retain their culture when in fact they were forcefully made to assimilate into European culture. Phyllis is a respected Kaumatua and former principal of the Te Kura Kaupapa Maaori o Te Puaha o Waikato School in Port Waikato