One of the country's newest arts laureates, author Witi Ihimaera, is buying the remaining stock of his latest novel The Trowenna Sea after a plagiarism controversy.
Publisher Penguin Group (NZ) has also announced it is offering to take back stock from any bookseller who wishes to return the book.
Penguin said it planned to publish a new edition of The Trowenna Sea, next year.
The edition will contain a new section by the author explaining the background and making full acknowledgement to writers whose work had been drawn on.
"I have taken this step to preserve the mana and integrity of the novel," Ihimaera said.
"Although I have already made the relevant apologies and have publicly undertaken to fully audit the book myself, it seemed appropriate to remove the first edition immediately and begin working on a corrected second edition."
The novel is set in Tasmania during the 1840s and details the lives of Maori transported there as convicts.
But The Whale Rider author has acknowledged some passages in the book were not credited.
In a written apology, Ihimaera said he had been working with Penguin to contact the authors whose work he did not acknowledge to apologise for the oversight.
Ihimaera said that less than 0.4% of the 528 page novel had been published without acknowledgement.
Penguin publishing director Geoff Walker said all writers of historical fiction drew to some extent on the work of historians and others, and this was to be expected.
"It is a long and accepted tradition that goes back to Shakespeare, but clearly Witi Ihimaera has taken this extraordinary step to show that he is actively engaged in resolving the issues involved."
On Tuesday Ihimaera was named one of the Arts Foundation's laureates for 2009.
He was one of five artists to win the award, along with carver Lyonel Grant, musician Chris Knox, photographer Anne Noble and traditional Maori musical instruments guru Richard Nunns.
The award gives the recipients a $50,000 no-strings attached donation to celebrate their past achievements and invest in their future.
Ihimaera is best known for his 1987 novel Whale Rider which went
on to become an award winning feature film.
Latest NZ News Video
-
ONE News Minute 9am update: May 26 (1:00)
-
Kids cough up $14m for Government (1:50)
-
Education ministry 'barbaric' (1:55)
