Cry the Wounded Land: Conversations with God about Maori, Pakeha and the land

MARK HOLLOWAY DOESN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE BLOODY HISTORY OF NEW ZEALAND - BUT HE DISCOVERS THAT GOD DOES.

When he least expects it, God startles Mark, author of best seller The Freedom Diaries, with a back and forth conversation about Māori (Indigenous), Pākehā (European) and the Land (New Zealand). 

The conversation is astonishing in its clarity, and incredibly moving - yet at the same time, uncomfortable, scary. It doesn’t make easy reading.

God gently explains how we got into the mess of racial tension we’re in, that neither is without guilt. He unfolds the reason he brought Māori and Pākehā to New Zealand - a reason that would ultimately change the entire world. 

Well known authors, Māori and Pākehā, say that the 19 conversations with God in this book, are what we desperately need to hear to achieve peace in New Zealand. Bestselling international authors say CRY THE WOUNDED LAND is urgent reading for people in every nation.

This is not a book about repentance. In these 19 mind-blowing conversations with God, you’ll hear God explain why we need to get together, Māori and Pākehā, in a marriage of cultures, so we can achieve what he brought us to New Zealand to do. He says the land cries out under the burden of blood we have all spilled on it, that it aches and groans for the day we begin to do what we were brought to these beautiful shores to do. Together.

At the worst time of his life, Mark Holloway stumbled by accident on how to have a back and forth conversation with God. Desperate and at the end of himself, Mark screamed at God and to his amazement, God answered. Confused and unbelieving, Mark struggled - was this really happening? Does God actually converse with mere humans, particularly messed up ones like him, or was he just finally going mad? Criticism from the religious soon threw him and he almost gave up. But then, at the eleventh hour, leading Christian figures, many of them outside of church, encouraged Mark, telling him he was definitely hearing God. Still unsure Mark published some of his conversations with God as blogs. Readers lives were changed, demand grew and a book followed, The Freedom Diaries. At the same time Mark reunited with his wife Miriam after five years apart. The book quickly became a New Zealand best seller, with thousands selling in the US and the UK. More books followed, in his latest, Cry the Wounded Land - conversations with God about Maori, Pakeha and the Land, Mark discovers to his horror that God wants to talk about the bloody history of New Zealand. The book is already a hot seller with demand growing daily. If you're unhappy with the religious view of God you're in luck. Mark's books will change your life forever. His down to earth approach to a back and forth, and completely unreligious friendship with God, is endorsed by leading authors and speakers around the world.

Author. Publisher. Expert Consultant Mātauranga Māori. Originally from Whakatāne, Bradford Haami graduated from the Māori journalism course at the Waiariki Institute of Technology in Rotorua (then Waiariki Polytechnic) in the mid-80s. Haami began his television career as a journalist with the Māori programmes department at Television New Zealand. As well as working on shows such as Koha, Marae, Waka Huia and the inaugural Māori Sports Awards, he was one of the original creators and directors of TVNZ's popular youth culture show Mai Time. Haami was co-writer, co-creator, and co-producer with Carey Carter of award-winning anthology series Mataku, which first debuted in 2001. Hosted by Temuera Morrison, the show was described as a "Māori Twilight Zone", and dealt with Māori experience of the "unexplained". In 2001 Haami co-wrote and directed (with Ngamaru Raerino) relationship tale He Poraruraru, as part of the Aroha anthology series. He was also involved in the development of drama series Waimarie, for Māori Television, and was a director/ writer for TV3 youth show Pacific Beat Street. He contributed story-lines to satirical show Spin Doctors, and was a Māori advisor and associate producer on 2006 Māori documentary-drama series Taonga. Haami's freelance work includes involvement in a range of screen productions, including many documentaries. Among them, he was writer of a high-rating 2002 documentary on Māori humour, Pukukata: The Last Laugh. He directed one-hour Ngā Tokotoru, and was writer and reporter for this 2002 documentary on legendary entertainer Dalvanius Prime. Haami has been a script consultant and editor to many TV and movie scripts with Māori content, including Shortland Street, Mercy Peak, Kaitangata Twitch, Matariki, and Rena Owen project Behind the Tattooed Face, as well as co-productions Tracker and telemovie The Man Who Lost His Head. In 2007, Haami researched and wrote document 'Urutahi Koataata Māori: Working with Māori in Film and Television' for Ngā Aho Whakaari - the national representative body for Māori working in film, video and television in New Zealand. This pioneering text explores the challenges and benefits of making film and television according to Māori ethical protocol. Based in Waitakere, Haami is a researcher and university lecturer in Māori studies. He has written extensively about Māori history and culture with a string of books, articles and papers to his credit. These include the biography of ex-Mongrel boss Mob boss Tuhoe Isaac, True Red (who acted in 2010 short film Day Trip). In May 2010, Haami was selected for the first Māori residency at the Michael King Writers' Centre, writing a book on the whale traditions of the Māori people. He also lectures on the subject of Māori storytelling in film. Haami is co-director of Tauihu Media (alongside veteran producer Tui Ruwhiu). The multimedia company was responsible for the Tauihu Shorts project. Haami, Ruwhiu and writer/director Poata Eruera (Mananui) made up the Tauihu Shorts team, responsible for executive producing four short films for the NZ Film Commission's 'Premiere' short filmmaking scheme in 2011/12. Previously Haami was a co-director with Ngamaru Raerino of Purakau Productions - a Māori storytelling consultancy - and with Pio Terei of production company 4 Winds Films Limited. From https: //www.nzonscreen.com/person/bradford-haami/biography