Colouring My Soul

"I am Tuhoe / Nga Puhi. I was born in Marton in 1963 and raised there till I was seventeen years old. My family moved to Palmerston North for work and that's where we have been ever since. My usual employment is as a supervisor in civil construction.As a child I was generally oblivious to events happening around me and didnt really wake up to other peoples auras till later in life. My nanny called it selfish. I just think I was half asleep. So five kids, five step-kids and two husbands later, I have become more aware and am full of the need to redeem myself to those that didnt understand me, to those that pissed me off, to those that I pissed off, and to those members of my family who needed me but I wasnt there.I wrote some stories with trepidation, for in writing them I was opening secrets. I wrote some stories as a way of instilling and sharing memories with those that have grown up hearing about the whanau but have never met or dont remember them, and I wrote others because they were worth writing."

- Mentored by Rene

- Endorsed by Maurice Gee

"Kat Maxwell writes vividly and with raw emotion. She's inside her world, she knows how it works, her stories are brave and bare. She's a genuine new voice so lets get her out there where she can be heard." Maurice Gee

"Kat's stories are great. Memorable. Her ability to tell a huge story in a very few words is remarkable." Rene