Rich variety for the Te Kura Pounamu Award — 2021 NZCYA

Te reo Māori, identity, and belonging

Te reo Māori is central to the identity and belonging of Māori throughout Aotearoa. As a result of the mahi to revitalise the language that started in the 1970s, today we see te reo Māori becoming normalised within and across diverse institutions and communities.

Increasingly, authors are writing in te reo and publishers are engaging translators to create bilingual publications, as well as books, entirely in te reo Māori.

In this blog post, we review finalists for the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for te reo Māori in the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults (NZCYA).

This post — one of a series of reviews

This blog post is one of a series reviewing books on the NZCYA shortlist in the run-up to the announcement of the award winners on 11 August.

The shortlist

This year's NZCYA te reo Māori finalists offer a range of inspiring and evocative pūrakau for taitamariki and rangatahi.

Aroha Te Whai Ora: He Mahere Piropiro mā te Tamariki

He pakiwaitara tēnei e whakatauira ana i ngā tukanga me ngā rautaki papai mō ngā tamariki me tā rātou ake hauora, pērā ki ngā tukanga hei kaupare i te āmaimai. I ngā wā o te āmaimai e mārama mārika ana a Aroha ki te whakatā, ki te noho mauritau ki te ngahere ki te whakatau i a ia anō. Nā Karena Kelly ēnei kupu i whakahaurite kia rongo tonu i te wairua o te pakiwaitara ki roto i te reo Māori.

Aroha Te Whai Ora: He Mahere Piropiro mā te Tamariki (Aroha's Way: A Children's Guide Through Emotions) by Rebekah Lipp, illustrated by Craig Phillips and translated by Karena Kelly (Wilding Books), encapsulates key tools and strategies for children to enhance their wellbeing, such as practical ways to cope with feelings of anxiety. When the stormy anxious feelings come, Aroha knows how to breathe deeply, bathe in the forest, and calm herself. Karena Kelly has used her expertise as a translator to capture the essence of this story in te reo Māori, including the rare skill of the use of rhyme that helps the story flow beautifully.

Hear the book read in te reo Māori

Mihi

Nā te mātanga kaituhi pukapuka a Gavin Bishop tēnei koha, he pukapuka uhi mārō mo ngā kōhungahunga. Ka haere ngātahi ngā pikitia me ngā rerenga tuhi ngāwari. He tīmatatanga pai tēnei mō ngā ākonga e ako ana i te reo Māori, ā, he whakamaheretanga hoki mō te mihi me te pepeha.

Award-winning author Gavin Bishop offers his latest work Mihi (Gecko Press) — a board book for young learners. Paring back the illustrations works brilliantly with the simple text. It's a great introduction to te reo Māori and also introduces a framework of mihi and/or pepeha.

Ngake me Whātaitai

He pūrakau tēnei mō ngā taniwha i hanga i Te Whanganui-ā-Tara, arā, a Ngake me Whātatai. He kōrero tuku iho tēnei kua whāngaia e Ben Ngaia mō ngā werohanga me ngā hua i puta mai i tā rāua mahi kia puta ai ngā wai o Te Whanganui-ā-Tara. He reo rere, he reo Māori he reo whakapoapoa i te kaipānui. Kei ngā pikitia te wairua kawe o tēnei pūrakau.

Ngake me Whātaitai by Ben Ngaia, illustrated by Laya Mutton-Rogers (Huia Publishers) is the story of how the Wellington harbour was formed by two taniwha, Ngake and Whātaitai. The author, Ben Ngaia, retells this pūrakau through the trials and tribulations both taniwha faced, using language that flows and entices the reader. The striking and lively illustrations capture the essence of the story and add drama.

Pīpī Kiwi

He maha ngā pātai a Kiwi Iti ki a Kiwi Nui mō ngā āhuatanga maha o te ao, ka ako hoki ia ki pānga o te wā me te tātari. Kei nga pikitia te wairua ngāwari, te wairua kapo hoki, ā, ka whai hononga hoki ki ngā kupu whakamāori a Hēni Jacob hei painga mō te hunga rangatahi e pānui ana.

In Pīpī Kiwi (Kiwi Baby) by Helen Taylor, translated by Hēni Jacob (Puffin), curious Little Kiwi asks Big Kiwi lots of questions about the world and learns important lessons about time and patience. The book’s engaging illustrations, clean design, and clever translation by Hēni Jacob make it appealing and accessible to young readers.

Te Uruuru Whenua o Ngātoroirangi

I whakahoungia e Chris Winitana ngā kōrero tuku iho mō Ngātoroirangi, tētahi rangatira nō Te Arawa. Ka takahi haere a Ngātoroirangi i te mata o te whenua ka toro atu ki te takiwa o Te Waiariki toro tika atu ki te poka pū o te motu. Nā Laya Mutton Rogers ngā pikitia whakanikonikohia kia rongo i te wairua o te pakiwaitara.

Chris Winitana uses rich language in Te Uruuru Whenua o Ngātoroirangi (Huia Publishers), relating the many adventures of Ngātoroirangi, a rangatira from Te Arawa. Ngātoroirangi travels throughout the Bay of Plenty and the central plateau. The illustrations by Laya Mutton-Rogers are contemporary and dramatic, akin to the style of graphic novels.

Aku whakamanahau! Praise and acknowledgements!

Kei aku rangatira, ngā ringaringa whao i te kupu, ngā kaituhi ō ēnei pakiwaitara / pūrakau me ngā kaiwhakamāori i nanaiore ake kia puta Māori mai ēnei tuhinga mō ngā whakareanga ō āpōpō. Kāore e ārikarika ana ngā mihi ki koutou i whakapeto riaka ki te whakapuaki i ngā ao maha o te kaipānui i a ia e rapu ana i ngā hua o tōna ake ao.

Ko te reo Māori te kuaha ki te ahurea Māori, ki ngā tirohanga maha a te Māori. Mā te whakamahi i te reo Māori ki roto i ēnei pakiwaitara / pūrakau ka tūwhera te ara mo ngā kaipānui katoa ki te ako i te reo Māori me te ahurea Māori.

We acknowledge and pay respect to the rangatira who have authored, translated, and illustrated these books. They have adeptly captured a Māori worldview that will be a source of sustenance for generations to come.

Te reo Māori is the gateway to te ao Māori and the many perspectives that encompasses.

Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro nōnā te ngahere, ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga nōnā te ao.The bird who feasts upon the miro berry owns the forest, the bird who feasts upon knowledge owns the world.

Read more

Children’s and young adult (YA) literature — explore strategies to evaluate literature and promote it to engage students in reading.

Lending service — borrow these NZCYA finalists and other great books from us.