Sir-Berticus t1_je7rbil wrote on March 30, 2023 at 12:47 AM

I'm a New Zealand ecologist and I thought it was a pretty interesting coincidence that there's an mystery author with the same name as a native tree.

But she's a NZ author! Strange I'd never heard of her, love the genre. Thanks for the tip-off.

falling_fire OP t1_je7t0op wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:00 AM

Happy to share! Quick question: is it pronounced Nigh-yo? That's what I've been saying in my head lol

Sir-Berticus t1_je7ujq4 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:11 AM

Most te reo speakers today will pronounce it like this, which is pretty close to how you're spelling it out! https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan=&histLoanWords=&keywords=ngaio

But the 'ng' at the start can really vary across the country, with different iwi pronouncing the consonant differently: Lake Wanaka in south island comes from the māori word "wananga" (wisdom), as Ngāti Tahu pronounce the 'ng' more like a "k" than a "n".

falling_fire OP t1_je7wzsc wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:30 AM

Thank you so much! I was close enough that the only difference is my American accent lol

thecosmicradiation t1_je8wpoj wrote on March 30, 2023 at 7:29 AM

Marsh is extremely well known and respected in the NZ literary scene - there's even a crime writing award in her name!

Sir-Berticus t1_jebehal wrote on March 30, 2023 at 7:59 PM

Thanks, yeah I'm discovering it all now haha. Clearly had my blinders up!

DoctorGuvnor t1_jeaeunc wrote on March 30, 2023 at 4:12 PM

Not only an author but she and her father were hugely instrumental in live theatre in NZ.