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Legacy
Seventeen-year-old Riki is worried about school and the future, but mostly about his girlfriend, Gemma, who has suddenly stopped seeing or texting him. But on his way to see her, he's hit by a bus and his life radically changes. Riki wakes up one hundred years earlier in Egypt, in 1915, and finds he's living through his great-great-grandfather's experiences in the Maori Contingent. At the same time that Riki tries to make sense of what's happening and find a way home, we go back in time and read transcripts of interviews Riki's great-great-grandfather gave in 1975 about his experiences in this war and its impact on their family. Gradually we realise the fates of Riki and his great-great-grandfather are intertwined.
268 pages, Paperback
Published August 17, 2018
8 people are currently reading
319 people want to read
About the author
Whiti Hereaka
8 books82 followersWhiti Hereaka is an award-winning novelist and playwright of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Tuhourangi, Ngāti Tumatawera, Tainui and Pākehā descent, based in Wellington, New Zealand.
She teaches Creative Writing at Massey University.
She is the author of four novels: The Graphologist’s Apprentice, and the award-winning YA novels Bugs, Legacy, and her retelling of Kurangaituku.
Legacy won the New Zealand Children’s and Young Adult Book Award for YA fiction in 2019 and Kurangaituku was awarded the 2022 Jann Medlicott Acorn Award for fiction, Ockham New Zealand Book Awards and was long listed for the Dublin Literary Award, 2023.
She was also co-editor of Pūrākau
She teaches Creative Writing at Massey University.
She is the author of four novels: The Graphologist’s Apprentice, and the award-winning YA novels Bugs, Legacy, and her retelling of Kurangaituku.
Legacy won the New Zealand Children’s and Young Adult Book Award for YA fiction in 2019 and Kurangaituku was awarded the 2022 Jann Medlicott Acorn Award for fiction, Ockham New Zealand Book Awards and was long listed for the Dublin Literary Award, 2023.
She was also co-editor of Pūrākau
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
January 7, 2019
I was really looking forward to reading this book, the premise sounded interesting, a 17 year old has an accident and is knocked out and ends up fighting in the Maori Battalion at Gallipoli. His mum is transcribing tapes from her elderly relative who fought in the battle, somehow the lives of the soldier and the young man become fused. I love Whiti Hereaka's book Bugs, I talk about it a lot to students and think it is a fantastic read. She is a really good writer!
The good things about this one: The premise as mentioned above. The fact that it deals with the conflicted feelings of pride and shame about war commemorations. The young people are written really well, this author does real life fiction really well.
Things I didn't love so much: There is way way too much left unresolved, I read the ending 3, yes 3, times thinking I'd missed something. There isn't any closure. What happened to the girl? I needed closure on this. The tape transcription reads slightly stilted. I totally get that the elderly man was speaking in a vernacular way, but it wasn't quite right for the novel. There needed to be a lot more editing in here.
Having complained, I do think that there is probably an audience for this book. YA novels with Maori protagonists and great use of Reo are thin on the ground and we desperately need so many more of them. I will certainly push it to the students at school, particularly those interested in war stories, but I had hoped for more.
The good things about this one: The premise as mentioned above. The fact that it deals with the conflicted feelings of pride and shame about war commemorations. The young people are written really well, this author does real life fiction really well.
Things I didn't love so much: There is way way too much left unresolved, I read the ending 3, yes 3, times thinking I'd missed something. There isn't any closure. What happened to the girl? I needed closure on this. The tape transcription reads slightly stilted. I totally get that the elderly man was speaking in a vernacular way, but it wasn't quite right for the novel. There needed to be a lot more editing in here.
Having complained, I do think that there is probably an audience for this book. YA novels with Maori protagonists and great use of Reo are thin on the ground and we desperately need so many more of them. I will certainly push it to the students at school, particularly those interested in war stories, but I had hoped for more.
December 28, 2020
I stayed up til 1am finishing this. It's a story about modern-day Riki who has an accident and wakes up replacing his great-grandfather Te Ariki, in 1915 in Egypt. The war has started, it's really dusty and everyone seems to think Riki is Te Ariki with a bang on the head and a drinking problem. So, without any alternative, Riki falls into life in the trenches, hoping somehow he can figure out a way to get home again.
I'm not really into historical war novels, but Whiti doesn't really focus on battles and campaigns and things. It's more about the boys themselves (and they were boys, teenagers most of them), the eldest and finest sons of Māori families, traditionally destined to lead their people, and now destined to die for a foreign power on foreign soil. It's about how Māori perceived themselves and how they tried so hard and gave so much and got FA in return.
Loved this book! It's funny, sad and very thought-provoking.
October 13, 2018
Circumstances send Riki back in time and he finds out the truth about his great great grandfather Te Ariki who served in the Maori battalion in Egypt and Gallipoli. An exciting mystery/time travel story that portrays life for soldiers during WW1 well and it has the "things are not as they seem twist."
September 27, 2018
Holy heck this wee gem came outta left field and surprised me! To begin with as you meet riki who ends up having an accident and being transported back in time to become his ancestor who fought in world war one Te Ariki. This book keeps you wondering how the change back is going to happen along with some great descriptions of the Maori in the Gallipoli battle. Pretty graphic and haunting scene in there which is still replaying in my brain. The ending is bittersweet and you end up feeling for Te Ariki as an old man and finally understanding what it was like to be home afterwards
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2020
If you like every little minor loose end tied up, this will not satisfy you. If you have ever heard of the term “declined on colour lines” then definitely read this. Throughly enjoyable and thought provoking
August 16, 2018
It's a timeslip novel that, once I'd finished, had me turning back to the beginning to double check how it had started again. It's clever.
May 20, 2023
Trigger warnings: war, death of a friend, gun violence, physical injury, stabbing, racism
Well this was a wild ride. I knew going in that it was a timeslip story about a 21st century Māori kid ending up in Egypt during WWI. I didn't know that he was going to take his great-great-grandfather's place in the war, and it was.......a little strange.
That being said, I liked the characters and I liked getting to read about Gallipoli and the ANZAC experience from not only a New Zealand perspective, but a Māori perspective. I know shockingly little about both, given that New Zealand are one of our closest neighbours.
Anyway. The ending was...odd...but the rest of the story was extremely compelling.
Well this was a wild ride. I knew going in that it was a timeslip story about a 21st century Māori kid ending up in Egypt during WWI. I didn't know that he was going to take his great-great-grandfather's place in the war, and it was.......a little strange.
That being said, I liked the characters and I liked getting to read about Gallipoli and the ANZAC experience from not only a New Zealand perspective, but a Māori perspective. I know shockingly little about both, given that New Zealand are one of our closest neighbours.
Anyway. The ending was...odd...but the rest of the story was extremely compelling.
May 27, 2025
A fun little time-loop story (albeit somewhat predictable from the start) with some good conversations about war and remembering history. Tbh I wish I had read this in school and had the opportunity to have those conversations then. (Also, I would have been much more suited to the target age range of the story so I probably would have enjoyed the writing and perspective more)
February 19, 2022
Stunning, absorbing, refreshingly different, beautifully written, poignant and so so clever. Brilliant!
November 3, 2018
I really enjoyed this book - and don’t want to say too much because spoilers. Great writing, and a tale that brings you in and keeps you right till the end.
October 17, 2018
I have no idea what happened in this book. Riki gets hit by a bus, wakes up in Egypt during WWI as his great-Grandad, who seems to have murdered by his mate over a theft from a tomb. I think Riki ended up marrying his great-grandmother, and then eventual he was born - what came first? Confusing.
September 29, 2020
📚📚📚📚📚REVIEW (Māori Author) 📚📚📚📚📚
🐈: Stuff digging those trenches - I can barely keep my eyes open for this shoot!
👩🏽⚕️: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Legacy by Whiti Hereaka (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa).
•
Read it. That basically sums this up for me. Whiti has nailed this story with creative Māori flair.
•
This book is about Rikki, he’s a 17yo young man in 2015 that’s coming of age and experiencing young love. His mother is writing about WW1 and uncovering the stories of their own whānau (family) involvement. She’s trudging through tape recordings of her koro (grandfather), trying to make sense of it all. Then something terrible happens and Rikki wakes up in WW1, 1915, exactly 100 years earlier, with the Māori contingent. The plot has a bit of dip as he gets accustomed to his surroundings but MAN does it recover. As the reader, I was a fly on the wall in Gallipoli and other places our men went. The story finishes after we find out whether he can get back to 2015 or embrace something else…..
•
Ok for starters, I absolutely loved Rikkis wit, a young Māori boy with lots of one liners - my kinda young man. Reminds me of my son and nephews.
•
I appreciated the history lesson and the depth of understanding about the words of Māori superstars like Apirana Ngata (Māori politician) and Sir Rangi Hīroa (first Māori Dr). I liked that Hereaka created layers of thinking for me about the meaning of Ngata’s famous phrase “the price of citizenship” - a one liner used when referring to the losses that Māori experienced as a people. This phrase has come to have a double meaning (we should go to war because we are citizens, we should go to PROVE we are worth being citizens). For the very first time I appreciated the internalised racism Ngata was portraying with his words. This was only after I read the somewhat bitter words of Te Ariki - a Koro (grandfather) from the trenches - who explains that his words meant that we Māori believed we weren’t worthy to begin with and had to PROVE our worth by signing up.
•
I enjoyed that the war was a place where our Māori men could be themselves with haka (war-dance), waiata (songs), karakia (prayer), stargazing, and hakari (feasts). ZERO Pākehā books portray this and as a Māori reader its infuriating cause it’s an important part of Māori experiences of warfare. I love that Rikki - a boy who was culturally disconnected in 2015 - was able to reconnect through these experiences in 1915. I also enjoyed the exploration of Te Reo Māori language politics - 1915 wasn’t exactly a popular time to “learn te reo.”
•
I think it’s a wonderful fictional story that translates history in a way that’s easy to get into. A good book if you want to learn more about Māori experiences of war, while simultaneously experiencing a really clever story.
•
Watch out for Hereaka - her voice reminds me of our Māori author superstars - Witi Ihimaera and Patricia Grace! But “cooler” cause it’s more modern - which we really do need to keep the likes of my kids interested as they grow!
.
.
#catsofbookstagram #bookstagram #maorireviews #legacy #nzlit #readnz #nzbooks #whitihereaka #māoriauthors #huia
🐈: Stuff digging those trenches - I can barely keep my eyes open for this shoot!
👩🏽⚕️: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Legacy by Whiti Hereaka (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa).
•
Read it. That basically sums this up for me. Whiti has nailed this story with creative Māori flair.
•
This book is about Rikki, he’s a 17yo young man in 2015 that’s coming of age and experiencing young love. His mother is writing about WW1 and uncovering the stories of their own whānau (family) involvement. She’s trudging through tape recordings of her koro (grandfather), trying to make sense of it all. Then something terrible happens and Rikki wakes up in WW1, 1915, exactly 100 years earlier, with the Māori contingent. The plot has a bit of dip as he gets accustomed to his surroundings but MAN does it recover. As the reader, I was a fly on the wall in Gallipoli and other places our men went. The story finishes after we find out whether he can get back to 2015 or embrace something else…..
•
Ok for starters, I absolutely loved Rikkis wit, a young Māori boy with lots of one liners - my kinda young man. Reminds me of my son and nephews.
•
I appreciated the history lesson and the depth of understanding about the words of Māori superstars like Apirana Ngata (Māori politician) and Sir Rangi Hīroa (first Māori Dr). I liked that Hereaka created layers of thinking for me about the meaning of Ngata’s famous phrase “the price of citizenship” - a one liner used when referring to the losses that Māori experienced as a people. This phrase has come to have a double meaning (we should go to war because we are citizens, we should go to PROVE we are worth being citizens). For the very first time I appreciated the internalised racism Ngata was portraying with his words. This was only after I read the somewhat bitter words of Te Ariki - a Koro (grandfather) from the trenches - who explains that his words meant that we Māori believed we weren’t worthy to begin with and had to PROVE our worth by signing up.
•
I enjoyed that the war was a place where our Māori men could be themselves with haka (war-dance), waiata (songs), karakia (prayer), stargazing, and hakari (feasts). ZERO Pākehā books portray this and as a Māori reader its infuriating cause it’s an important part of Māori experiences of warfare. I love that Rikki - a boy who was culturally disconnected in 2015 - was able to reconnect through these experiences in 1915. I also enjoyed the exploration of Te Reo Māori language politics - 1915 wasn’t exactly a popular time to “learn te reo.”
•
I think it’s a wonderful fictional story that translates history in a way that’s easy to get into. A good book if you want to learn more about Māori experiences of war, while simultaneously experiencing a really clever story.
•
Watch out for Hereaka - her voice reminds me of our Māori author superstars - Witi Ihimaera and Patricia Grace! But “cooler” cause it’s more modern - which we really do need to keep the likes of my kids interested as they grow!
.
.
#catsofbookstagram #bookstagram #maorireviews #legacy #nzlit #readnz #nzbooks #whitihereaka #māoriauthors #huia
April 9, 2019
I hardly ever give 5 stars - even for those books that I really enjoyed - just so I can save them for brilliant novels like Legacy.
Riki is 17 and bored by his mum's research into their family history for her uni studies. He's grown up hearing about his great, great... (He can't keep track of the greats); grandfather and who he was named after - Te Ariki Mikaera Puweto.
His mum has been playing audio cassettes recorded in the 1970's of Te Ariki's tales of his time in Cairo, then Gallipoli, and afterwards. He wanted his story to be told and available for his future whanau.
Riki's mum thinks the tapes are pure gold, but Riki is more worried about why his girlfriend Gemma has been avoiding him.
Distracted by a message from Gemma on his cellphone, Riki is in an accident. He doesn't wake up in a hospital however, but 100 years in the past in a strange town of sand, soldiers and confusion.
At first and believing it a dream, he tries to reconcile it with his real life - until he realises he's not waking up.
Legacy is a brilliant blend of history (1915-1916), and the present, with the 1975 audio tape transcripts pinning them together. Essentially a story about the Maori Battalion at Gallipoli, the use of a time-travel jump by a teen of this time makes it both current and historical at the same time.
Riki is struggling to understand how this could happen and thinking he's dreaming, he is reaching for threads of his real life to pull his new world together. Mention of games he's played, something said or done in the family, and his troubles with his girlfriend make him believe his subconscious has built this new reality for him.
But his 'dream' doesn't stop, and he is soon in the nightmare of Gallipoli. Confusion reigns as he realises who he is, and wonders what the consequences will be if he doesn't survive.
16+
Riki is 17 and bored by his mum's research into their family history for her uni studies. He's grown up hearing about his great, great... (He can't keep track of the greats); grandfather and who he was named after - Te Ariki Mikaera Puweto.
His mum has been playing audio cassettes recorded in the 1970's of Te Ariki's tales of his time in Cairo, then Gallipoli, and afterwards. He wanted his story to be told and available for his future whanau.
Riki's mum thinks the tapes are pure gold, but Riki is more worried about why his girlfriend Gemma has been avoiding him.
Distracted by a message from Gemma on his cellphone, Riki is in an accident. He doesn't wake up in a hospital however, but 100 years in the past in a strange town of sand, soldiers and confusion.
At first and believing it a dream, he tries to reconcile it with his real life - until he realises he's not waking up.
Legacy is a brilliant blend of history (1915-1916), and the present, with the 1975 audio tape transcripts pinning them together. Essentially a story about the Maori Battalion at Gallipoli, the use of a time-travel jump by a teen of this time makes it both current and historical at the same time.
Riki is struggling to understand how this could happen and thinking he's dreaming, he is reaching for threads of his real life to pull his new world together. Mention of games he's played, something said or done in the family, and his troubles with his girlfriend make him believe his subconscious has built this new reality for him.
But his 'dream' doesn't stop, and he is soon in the nightmare of Gallipoli. Confusion reigns as he realises who he is, and wonders what the consequences will be if he doesn't survive.
16+
February 6, 2019
This wasn't quite the story I expected. It is clever, and the time slip element and the resolution is seriously trippy. But I also found some of the story a little challenging and while events are presented in such a way that no other course of action seems possible, it did pretzel my brain in a way that was at times quite uncomfortable. An accident propels modern day Riki back in time into the form of a many greats grandfather, Te Ariki, who is based in Egypt with the Maori Contingent in 1915 before being shipped to Gallipoli. Why is he there? Can he get home again? How can he be two people at once? What will the repercussions be?
While the book touches on a number of different themes - WW1, the treatment of Maori both in the forces and at home, free will and destiny, and the burden of knowledge, ultimately the story left me with more questions than answers. Having said all that though, I found it well written, an intense and interesting read, and seriously thought provoking. There is a lot to unpack here and this would be especially great in the classroom.
While the book touches on a number of different themes - WW1, the treatment of Maori both in the forces and at home, free will and destiny, and the burden of knowledge, ultimately the story left me with more questions than answers. Having said all that though, I found it well written, an intense and interesting read, and seriously thought provoking. There is a lot to unpack here and this would be especially great in the classroom.
June 17, 2024
This text constantly questions your past and who is best placed to write that past as history. How much of what we are told is accurate? If we are silent, should others speak for us? "He always thought of history as a record of the truth, but it is easy to forget that history is made by human hands. History is as slippery as fiction." Should we accept or question wisdom? When we find out the truth, does it change our perspective?
It looks at names and identity and whether freewill exists. Does our past simply repeat or can the next generation change their narrative? There are comparisons between the acquisition of cultural knowledge across the generations. "Te Awhina has studied many things, but te reo wasn't one of them." It is due to this lack of knowledge that he doesn't understand the joke about Jack Mīharo's name.
Set in part during World War I, it raises questions about inequality concerning the Maori Battalion and why they went to war as well as what makes a hero and which methods are best to celebrate fallen soldiers.
It looks at names and identity and whether freewill exists. Does our past simply repeat or can the next generation change their narrative? There are comparisons between the acquisition of cultural knowledge across the generations. "Te Awhina has studied many things, but te reo wasn't one of them." It is due to this lack of knowledge that he doesn't understand the joke about Jack Mīharo's name.
Set in part during World War I, it raises questions about inequality concerning the Maori Battalion and why they went to war as well as what makes a hero and which methods are best to celebrate fallen soldiers.
September 17, 2018
I got to the end of this book and immediately considered going back and re-reading it. This book can be read on several different levels - war and peace, Māori and Pakeha, history (WWI) or simply as a time travelling adventure story. However it's major strength for me is in being an authentic voice explaining the Māori point of view of why they went to fight, how they felt on their return and the feeling that despite everything, nothing had changed. I have a feeling that if I read it again and as I progress on my own Te Ao Māori journey, the star rating would probably increase.
May 4, 2020
This award-winning book gives a good insight into a terrible time in history and will be very useful to today's teen readers. The writing is a little clumsy to begin with, although it improves as the action speeds up and I was cross with the editors for missing a blooper (weighing anchor means leaving port, see 29th Dec 1915). I liked the way three time periods were used to tell the story and the way the author brought the characters to life.
Recommended to anyone studying WW1, Gallipoli, ANZAC, Maori Battalion, racism and friendship. With a great NZ flavour.
Recommended to anyone studying WW1, Gallipoli, ANZAC, Maori Battalion, racism and friendship. With a great NZ flavour.
January 14, 2022
I decided to read this book because it was the novel study for my daughter's year 9 English class. "We all hated it", is all she said. I guffawed - 13 year olds aren't always the best critics. "You'll see," she said.
Damn it.
I wanted to love it - in fact, I loved 99% of it - but that ending. Woof. Absolutely terrible.
"Told you so, that's why we all hated it."
I don't know why the author decided to end it the way that they did, because it spoilt what was an excellent work of YA historical fiction.
Bummer.
Damn it.
I wanted to love it - in fact, I loved 99% of it - but that ending. Woof. Absolutely terrible.
"Told you so, that's why we all hated it."
I don't know why the author decided to end it the way that they did, because it spoilt what was an excellent work of YA historical fiction.
Bummer.
October 25, 2018
Wonderful storytelling. Hereaka manages the time slip narrative so beautifully, keeping us firmly in the action/reaction/discovery of the protagonist, Riki. I loved seeing a fictional glimpse of historical details. I was captivated by the clever weaving of present and past - the view of past events through modern eyes and the terrible weight of knowledge that Riki carries into a war he never asked to be a part of. So very clever, accessible and engaging.
August 1, 2020
I had SUCH A GOOD TIME reading this, such an interesting premise, great characters, great imagery just such a delightful time. Flawed characters too, they felt like real, whole people. This is ultimately a young adult book and I think SUCH a good one for young adults - lots of big themes. I will say the reason why it's 4 stars is the ending, it didn't sit quite right with me - I don't feel FULLY satisfied however, I did enjoy this and will seek out more books by Whiti Hereaka!
February 24, 2020
If you like historical time-slip novels, you'll love this story of a modern teenager who lives out his great-grandfather's experiences in World War One. It gives a great insight into the way family stories are woven into our identities. It also gave me a new perspective on the Maori Battalion's unique challenges and community spirit.
October 10, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Now I need to re-read it to unravel the time loop. Would recommend it to all New Zealanders and English teachers needing a fresh teenage-friendly read for their students.
September 15, 2019
A Gallipoli story based on the Maori Contingent 1914-1916. A work of fiction but a well researched story about the daily lives of soldiers in WW11. I'm not sure whether the time slip strategy works so well , but the book is a good addition to this genre.
March 19, 2019
Enjoyed this a lot. The ending, not so much.
May 13, 2019
A clever delve into time travel, with an extra TWIST.
September 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this story and I think the research about the life and conditions for the Maori men and boys who volunteered for the First World War is very well done.
October 6, 2019
Really enjoyed it. BUT DID HE REALLY STAY IN THE PAST???? SO MANY QUESTIONS
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2019
Winner of one of the New Zealand Children Book Award prizes. Kept me guessing and hoping to the end!
December 31, 2019
Curious. Deep. Heartfelt
October 7, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It isn't in my normal genre, but I found it immersing and very powerful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews