The Last Living Cannibal

by Airana Ngarewa

Muru is not revenge. Muru is about balance. You put your hands on one of theirs and they had every right to take from you and yours whatever they meant to take, short of a life.

Aotearoa in the 1940s, and the Māori men of Taranaki have refused to join the Māori battalion because of the severity of their land confiscations. Koko is the oldest man in the village, a legend within his community - he's lived through the land wars, Parihaka, imprisonment in Dunedin, and they whisper of him as the Last Living Cannibal. Koko dotes on his grandson Blackie, who has lived with him ever since Blackie's mum left in troubling circumstances years earlier.

But the ghosts of the past are bound to come calling, and when they do, they come with muru in mind.

Richly set in Taranaki during the 1940s, The Last Living Cannibal is the epitome of a classic Aotearoa novel, from one of this generation's most promising writers.

Genres: Indigenous, Historical Fiction

218 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2025

Reviews

[Stephanie Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Poppies Bookshop New Plymouth, I was able to read this before booklaunch. What an incredible read. I'm feeling all kinds of emotions—in the best possible way. Airana Ngarewa has beautifully peeled back the layers of life on a pā, allowing us a deeply moving, almost voyeuristic glimpse into a powerful moment between iwi, set against the backdrop of World War II.
The story revolves around the concept of muru—a practice of plunder, confiscation, or ritual compensation that serves as a form of social control, restorative justice, and redistribution of wealth within whānau. This concept is the emotional and cultural core of the narrative, and it had me both laughing and in tears.
What resonated most with me is that Taranaki is telling its own stories—on its own terms.

[Alana Hay · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐️

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the title I expected this to be quite a different book - and even the blurb had me expecting something different. Set in 1940, told from the perspective of a 90-year-old Māori grandfather of the Taranaki iwi, this book is a family story at heart. It's slow-paced initially but picks up quite a bit of steam towards the end. And you feel you could spend hours listening to Koko, the narrator, spin tales and describe life on the pā.

I've been sleeping on Ngarewa I think; need to go back and read his other works.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Airana Ngarewa, author of The Bone Tree and Pātea Boys once again brings the people of Taranaki vividly to life. Narrated largely from the afterlife by William (aka Koko), the titular 'last living cannibal' who can remember being sentenced to hard labour in Otago as a teenager during the Land Wars. Koko mourns his beloved lost to TB, and helps his son Joe, a pastor, raise his six year old son Blackie on the pā. When Koko dies suddenly, the tribe, mostly farmers and fisherman, old grannies and young children circle around to mourn. But when another tribe, from the mighty river in the north arrive with shocking claims and revelations, the peace of the tangi is disrupted.

Ngarewa's writing is striking, he brings the characters to full realisation, the children and Nanny Foreshore especially, as well as Koko from beyond the grave. Life on the pā is shown as straddling two worlds, the old Māori one, and the newer, Western one the elders understand will be the reality for their mokopuna. The unique setting of rural Māori New Zealand during WWII is almost unique in fiction in our country and makes this book one to cherish.

[Mrs Moa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the 1940s, the tale revolves mainly around Koko and his whanau, his relationships, his marae, and his ancestors.

I was pleasantly surprised by the relaxed dialogue within the story. Told mainly from Koko’s point of view, he admonishes his whanau for being idiots and calls them “spoons”. You almost feel like you're on the marae with the eye rolls and banters.

Part of the story that I found fascinating is that another tribe comes on to Koko’s marae to seek muru, they are intentionally disrespectful, and I thought it gave a little bit more insight into Māori culture, their customs, the respect, and their protocols.

Such a fabulous story.

I was sent this book by the publisher and all opinions are my own.

[Lakinloveslit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nz authors have really been delivering this year and this was another fantastic book by @airanangarewa ❤️
Koko is the oldest man on the Pā, and has the nickname ‘the last living cannibal’ (for reasons that become clear but I won’t spoil!). He adores his grandson Blackie who has lived with him since his mum left. But it’s the 1940s, and relations between pākehā and Māori aren’t the best, nor are relations between different iwi. When the past comes calling, it’s with muru in mind.
This didn’t feel like it was set in the 1940s for me - obviously there was the backdrop of WWII in which Taranaki Māori and Waikato-Tainui Māori refused to fight in, and clearly relations weren’t the best, but it doesn’t read like a historical fiction novel. I don’t want to say too much about the actual plot because I think it’s best experienced while reading but I will say that Airana always does such an amazing job with his settings. The Pā felt like as much of a character as the actual characters, and I could so clearly see and hear the kids running around making mayhem and the nannies whispering in the corners (truly reminds me of my own childhood lol). I absolutely adored Koko - what an amazing grandfather to Blackie! The mirroring of events happening in the book to events in Koko’s past was so clever, and I really loved how this story was told. I also loved seeing Waikato-Tainui as that’s my own iwi! I wouldn’t have liked to be at the Pā when they came to heads with Taranaki though hahaha. This book also reminded me how scary bulls are 😅 A fantastic story that I really enjoyed! Huge thanks to @moapress & @hachettenz for sending this my way!

[Izzy C · Rating 4 out of 5]

From a gentle pā morning to full on riri! This was surprisingly good - I don't usually enjoy historical fiction but the clever dialogue made the novel feel immersive. It was fun despite the subject matter, and the characters were great. I appreciated t

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Beautiful! Best book I have read all year! Could not put it down. Read it in 2 days, which is unheard of for me.

[Bri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Angela Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has lingered in my memory possibly because it was much better than I expected.
Set in the 1940s in Taranaki, it is the story of an old Koro Koko and his grandson Blackie but much more than that. It’s about muru and the restoration of balance when a group arrive at Koko’s tangi from the Waikato and claim both the body and the grandchild.
There’s much to think about. A good one for the book club.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really cool to learn more about the Maori culture throughout this book, especially since they seem to value their women in a different way than we do in the US. When a woman is abused the entire tribe goes after her abuser, which was kind of cool to see in comparison in the US where women are lucky if they have any family members who believe you and support you.

The title of the book is a little misleading because you think it will be a lot about cannibalism but it is only one page throughout the entire book. The narrator discusses how he came to get that name and how it was not something he wanted to be remembered by.

I think it was very interesting that the story was told mainly through Koko's perspective after he died and was just there waiting to be put to rest. I thought that was a very unique perspective.


Some quotes I liked:

“Of course, the men did most of the talking. But that was only because the women did most of the deciding and God needed a way for men to contribute.”

“Is that God's capital T Truth, is it?'

I's as true as the Mäori that poops in the forest and wipes

his rear with the fluffy white chin of the tüi.'


“By the end, I had half a mind to borrow a trick from ol' mate Jesus's book and rise from the dead, only to correct the record.”