Posthumous release of Kelly Ana Morey’s ‘epic Māori novel’ celebrates author’s legacy

A significant new work of Māori literature has reached readers this week with the publication of Ordinary People Like Us, the final novel by the late author Kelly Ana Morey. The book, which Morey referred to during its creation as her "Epic Māori Novel," was released on the first anniversary of her death after a dedicated effort by her peers to finalize the manuscript. Following Morey's passing last year, her cousin Emily, acting as kaitiaki of her work, requested that acclaimed writer Catherine Chidgey complete the editing process. Chidgey, a close friend of 15 years, collaborated with veteran editor Harriet Allan to bring the unfinished manuscript to fruition. Allan had long championed Morey’s voice, having encouraged her to expand the short story "Blind"—a narrative centered on the figure Rūruhi-Kerepō—into the novel that eventually became part of this larger work. Writing for The Spinoff on 29 August 2026, Chidgey described the novel as a multilayered exploration of family history and truths spanning a century and a half. Morey had envisioned the structure of the book as a meeting house, where the narrative rafters represented "the two sides of the rib cage encasing the heart and the breath of life." The editorial team worked to refine the manuscript from its original 170,000 words down to a focused version that maintained Morey's unique vision. Throughout her career, Morey was known for her sharp eye for detail and her contributions to Aotearoa’s literary landscape, including works like Daylight Second. The release of Ordinary People Like Us serves as a tribute to her enduring talent and her commitment to telling complex Indigenous stories that move toward ultimate truths.