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The Spinoff
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
‘Indigenous nonfiction is vital': Qiane Matata-Sipu's books confessional
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua, Waikato, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao, Cook Islands), author of Ngā Kupenga a Nanny Rina (illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White) which is up for the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award at the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The book I wish I'd written I know it probably takes the fun out of answering these kinds of things, but I don't wish to have written any other books than my own. All the incredible stories and kōrero that I immerse myself in as a reader are a direct reflection of the remarkable writers who penned them. They inspire me to push myself further, to challenge my thinking and to value the stories I have waiting. I wish to champion them and their mahi so we can all make different sized ripples and the puna can overflow. Everyone should read Native Ritual: a Mana Wahine Sourcebook by Ngahuia Murphy because it houses mātauranga that colonisation tried to lose in the lashings, scrape off the tongues of tūpuna and bury in the ashes of the whare wānanga. Ngahuia reminds us of the importance of ceremony, rites of passage and ritual, while reviving these teachings. She shares karakia and guides connection to Kurawaka. There is nothing else like it around. The book I want to be buried with Don't bury me with anything, it's no good for Papatūānuku, but if you are at my tangihanga please read poetry into the night. Start with words from Hoki Mai by Rangimarie Sophie Jolley, weave in Whai by Nicole Titihuia Hawkins, and light the ahi while reading Raised by the Renaissance by Rangipare Belshaw-Ngaropo. Take everyone on a journey from whenua and whakapapa to whānau, whawhai and whakawātea. Let the words remind us of our complexities. Give yourself permission to celebrate and grieve all at once as you are held in the knowing that we can be lost, and home, and broken, and audacious, and witty, and powerful, and healing, and hopeful, all at once, too. And while we're on tangihanga talk, don't even think about reading biblical verses during the 7am and 7pm wā karakia. Instead, after the owhaowha, let my girls teach you how the karanga of Hinenuitepō will guide me to Hawaiki. They will preach to you the stories from Wāhine Toa by Patricia Grace and Robyn Kahukiwa while preparing a sermon from excerpts of Atua Wāhine by Hana Tapiata. The book that made me cry All that we know by Shilo Kino. I was completely fine until the last three pages in the final chapter. If I could ready only three books for the rest of my life they would be Taniwha by Robyn Kahukiwa to remind me of the important things; Te Mahi Māra Hua Parakore – a Māori Food Sovereignty Handbook by Jessica Hutchings to ensure we never go hungry; Kāwai by Monty Souter is perfect for such a time as this because it's the only book I have got so lost in that I yearned to be transported into its pages to live out the rest of my life. The best thing about reading Reading is an opportunity for me as a māmā to connect deeply with my tamariki. Snuggled under the blanket before bedtime, tucked away from the distractions of the day, we get to make up voices for our fave characters, celebrate learning kupu hōu, share giddy smiles when we accomplish the next chapter of a special story and feel the exhilaration of being challenged, inspired and nourished. Fingers trace intricate illustrations and inquisitive minds ask worldly questions. In those moments when it's just us, and a book, I relish in the simplicity of our joy and aroha. Most underrated book Te Whē ki Tukorehe edited by Anahera Gildea and Nadine Hura. In all fairness there were only 200 copies printed, I am privileged to own number 134, but a book that has been guided by literary giants, designed by my fav Chloē Reweti and featuring contributions by the likes of Anne-Marie Te Whiu, Ataria Sharman, Kahu Kutia, Michelle Rahurahu and Te Kahureremoa Taumata, to name a few, should feature on lists of greatness across the motu. It's not just a book, it's a movement of mana and collaboration making marks in the whakapapa of Māori literature by recognising that the process is just as important as the output. Featuring essays, imagery, poetry and prose it is a stunning collection of works. And the paper stock is just yummy. Fiction or nonfiction Indigenous nonfiction is vital in our world today, especially in our current political climate. I think it is incredibly important that we have writers documenting and sharing mātauranga, histories that differ from the Western male gaze and kōrero that not only revives Indigenous knowledge but reminds us of who we are and the Indigenous blueprints for living well. I have a series of book shelves at home that are dedicated to pukapuka supporting the growth of te reo Māori, books that speak to the whakapapa of people and place, art books that champion our weavers, painters, carvers and ceramicists, and new age publications that ensure my uri whakaheke have access to wellbeing tools that are relevant to them and their lived experiences. At the same time, this world can be a shithole and there's no better escape from it than bloody good fiction. Best place to read My answer would usually be something along the lines of 'lying outside the tent at a remote beach location, creamy pāua bubbling on the burner and the kids playing in the kaukau'. But at this moment in time, it is on the mustard bean bag in the corner of my pōtiki's room, before her second nap when the kōkōwai-coloured wall is drenched in the just right amount of afternoon sun. Her three-month-old gummy grin dribbling on the corners of Kupu Tauaro by Kitty Brown and Kirsten Parkinson as we make our way through their Reo Pēpi series. What are you reading right now I am currently reading the proofs of my next children's book My First Ikura and the reo Māori version, Taku Ikura Tuatahi. It's a story that follows a young girl as she experiences her first ikura (period), guided by the love and support of her whānau. Rooted in a Māori worldview, it explores the sacredness of this stage in life, the important roles of family and community, and the ceremonies that uplift and honour young wāhine. A gentle, empowering read for growing girls and their whānau, this self-published taonga celebrates the journey into womanhood with pride, knowledge and aroha (released in October 2025). Ngā Kupenga a Nanny Rina by Qiane Matata-Sipu and illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White ($21, Penguin) is available to purchase through Unity Books.
The Spinoff
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
‘Immersed in stacks of picture books': Isobel Joy Te Aho-White's reading life
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu), illustrator of three books up for awards at the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The book I wish I'd written and illustrated Good Faeries, Bad Faeries by Brian Froud. I love his method of putting pen to paper and letting his intuition take over, with no expectation as to what comes out, and then, in the case of Good Faeries, Bad Faeries, giving personalities and backstories to the characters after they've been drawn. I think that approach has helped me when I feel like I have creative block. Just scribble, zone out, and think about it later. Everyone should read Watership Down by Richard Adams – it's a reimagining of Homer and Virgil's Odyssey and Aeneid, but with bunnies, which makes it better. It also brings in other themes such as humanity's propensity for mindless destruction and domination over the animal kingdom. The book I want to be buried with Tough question, because it can change on any given day. So, let's just say a sketchbook for jotting down ideas and observations. The first book I remember reading by myself I remember being immersed in stacks of picture books as a kid (nothing's changed, really), and I'd cycle through them. Some early impressions were Funnybones by Janet and Allen Ahlberg, Animalia by Graeme Base, and The Nicklenackle Tree by Lynley Dodd. I also had the classics: Madeline, Asterix, Tintin, Babar, the books of Richard Scarry, Dr Seuss, The Berenstains. The pictures drew me in – the more detail, the better. If we're talking chapter books, some early ones I enjoyed were The Hobbit, The Song of Pentecost, The Cooper Kids, Anne of Green Gables, The Babysitter's Club and the Famous Five. The book I pretend I've read I have pretended to read Das Kapital by Karl Marx and A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, but to be honest, I found them too dense and only skimmed them. Maybe I need illustrated versions. Dystopia or utopia The stuff I make is usually utopian, but the stuff I enjoy is usually dystopian, crime or horror adjacent. How does that work? Maybe I need something to bounce off. Some faves that come to mind are Animal Farm by George Orwell, Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, The Long Walk by Stephen King, and Uzumki by Junji Ito. Fiction or nonfiction I appreciate both and read them in completely different ways. Most of my bookcase is filled with nonfiction reference books that I pick up and skim through if I need some information on a subject – mostly books about pūrākau Māori, history, art/design and native plants. But when it comes to novels, it's audiobooks all the way. I listen to them while I'm working. It's a crime against language to This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think books that jump around the timeline without telling you that they're doing it can be really grating. Similarly, I'm not usually interested in reading a prequel to a series that takes place before the series that I just read, because I know what's going to happen, and I've moved on. The book character I identify with most I've always felt an affinity for Alice from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. She gets stuck in a situation that is completely baffling to her, where everyone seems to be marching to the beat of a different drum, and she's rarely given adequate context for anything. To me, that's what it's like being on the autism spectrum and trying to follow social cues. The book I wish would be adapted for film or TV Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders should be adapted for film. I think it would be visually stunning. The serpent sequences could be animated and psychedelic, while the main story could be live action. The character of The Fool/Amber/Lord Golden is probably one of my favourites of all time – I think Hunter Schafer would ace that role. Most underrated book I don't think Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake gets enough love among the fantasy classics. Or maybe it gets the right amount, but Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter series are comparatively overrated. In any case, it's got a crumbling gothic castle, a catastrophic flood, parkour, cloaks, daggers, and a room full of cats, which in my mind makes it one of the greats. Greatest New Zealand book Wāhine Toa by Patricia Grace and Robyn Kahukiwa had a big impact on me, because it's empowering, grounding and explicit in its Māori feminism. It examines eight archetypes from pūrākau Māori, using bold art and gentle prose that together create a layered and comprehensive study. It's the first book about female divinity that I picked up, looked at the land I know, the women that raised me, and go 'yeah, that makes total sense'. What I'm reading right now On Audible I've got all the JP Pomare books lined up, because I like to binge crime and suspense. On Apple books I've got Performance by my e hoa David Coventry, which is about his experience of living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). On my desk is Treasures of Tāne: Plants of Ngāi Tahu by Rob Tipa, which I'm currently opening at random. And I've just ordered a fresh new copy of Māori Rafter & Tāniko Designs by WJ Philips from Oratia, which I'm looking forward to. Ngā Kupenga a Nanny Rina by Qiane Mataa-Sipu illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White ($21, Penguin); A Ariā me te Atua o te Kūmara by Witi Ihimaera and illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White and translated by Hēni Jacob ($25, Penguin); and Ten Nosey Weka by Kate Preece, illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White ($22, Bateman Books) are all available to purchase through Unity Books.
The Spinoff
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
‘The Pacific Islands!' Dahlia Malaeulu's favourite place to read
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Dahlia Malaeulu, publisher at the award-winning Mila's Books, and author of Mataali'i, which is finalist for the BookHub Picture Book Award at the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The book I wish I'd written Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson; illustrated by Daniel Sousa. It is stunning, culturally rich and shares a sacred part of Pasifika history with dignity and mana. Everyone should read A New Dawn by Emeli Sione for its powerful truth-telling and healing around the Dawn Raids. Also Reconnect: Tokelau Tā Tatau by Jack Kirifi, a rare and moving glimpse into the lost art of Tokelauan tattooing. The book I want to be buried with Mase's Room, Isaia Says and Lagi Spies, the picture books I wrote for my sons and my mum. The most underrated book Pasifika Navigators: Pasifika Student Poetry Collection is award-winning (ASLA DANZ Poetry Winner 2025) proof that our tamaiti are powerful storytellers with voices the world needs to hear. Best food memory from a book Backyard photoshoot with niu (coconut) in Niue for Hunt for Niu Tupu by Inangaro Vakaafi. Hands down the yummiest book research we have ever done. Fiction or nonfiction Love the magic of fiction but I am a nonfiction girly. I live for truth, reflection and real stories that teach and transform. The book that haunts me Kū'ē Petitions: A Mau Loa Aku Nō is a powerful reminder of Native Hawaiian resistance and how colonisation echoes across all our Pasifika stories. The book that made me cry Dear Uso by Mani Malaeulu, a brave young adult fiction book that powerfully explores family challenges, suicide and mental health among our tama Pasifika. It is raw, honest and deeply needed in the world today. The book that made me laugh A forthcoming title, Hiva and Heartbeats by Selina Alesana Alefosio is a hilarious and heartfelt 90s throwback with cousin chaos and diaspora realness. Took me straight back to my Islander youth years growing up here in Aotearoa. The book character I identify with most Fetū from Mataali'i. Inspired by loved ones and guided by ancestors, she learns she is more than enough, capable of anything and destined to lead her village. Best thing about reading It helps us connect, explore, talanoa and understand. Stories remind us we are not alone and that our cultures, experiences and voices matter. Best place to read The Pacific Islands, any and all of them! What I'm reading right now I Love My Island by Moemoana Safa'ato'a Schwenke to students at Vakabuli Primary School in Lautoka, Fiji! … It is such a joy seeing our Mila's Books stories reach tamaiti around the world. Mataali'i by Dahlia Malaeulu, illustrated by Darci Solia ($28, Mila's Books) is available to purchase through Unity Books. The Spinoff Books section is proudly brought to you by Unity Books and Creative New Zealand. Visit Unity Books online today.
1News
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- 1News
Under The Mountain author Maurice Gee dies at 93
New Zealand author Maurice Gee has died in Nelson aged 93. One of the country's most prolific and well-known writers, Gee wrote more than 30 novels for both adults and children. His novel Under The Mountain was adapted for TV in 1981 and into a film in 2009. Nelson MP Rachel Boyack confirmed Gee's passing as "such sad news" in a social media post. "Maurice Gee was a giant of New Zealand's literary world, and his stories shaped the upbringings of many of us," she noted. ADVERTISEMENT In a statement posted to X, poet Bill Manhire called Gee "one of the greats". Gee was born in Whakatāne in 1931 and raised in west Auckland, a location that featured frequently in his writing. He won multiple awards for his writing, including top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship and a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement.
Scoop
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Shilo Kino Awarded 2025 Shanghai Writing Residency
Press Release – Michael King Writers Centre We are very happy to announce that Shilo Kino (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Te Ata), has been selected to join the Shanghai Writers' Association's International Writing Programme 2025. This opportunity is available through a partnership between the Michael King Writers Centre and the Shanghai Writers' Association. Shilo will join writers from eight other countries for two months in Shanghai in September and October this year. The writers receive air travel, free accommodation and a small stipend for living expenses. An award-winning author and journalist, Shilo's debut novel, The Pōrangi Boy, won the Young Adult Fiction Award at the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards. In 2024, she released her first adult fiction novel, All That We Know. It debuted at number one on the New Zealand fiction chart and was longlisted for the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards – Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction. Shilo is passionate about te ao Māori and speaks Mandarin, having lived in Hong Kong. She is currently completing her master's thesis at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. In 2014 Alison Wong was the first New Zealand writer selected to join the International Writers' Programme in Shanghai – Heidi North Bailey followed in 2016 and Frances Edmond in 2018. After a five year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, Melinda Syzmanik was selected in 2023. Since the exchange began in 2013 five Chinese writers have enjoyed a residency at the Michael King Writers Centre. Huo Yan, a young writing star from Beijing, took up the first Fellowship and in 2015 acclaimed novelist Xiao Bai from Shanghai was the second resident; Yin Jian Ling, was the 2017 resident. In 2019 Sun Wei was at MKWC and last year Danyan Chen was selected as the fifth Chinese writer to travel to Aotearoa. Danyan is known for her impactful contributions to both fiction and non-fiction, particularly focusing on youth and urban narratives in China and the overseas Chinese language community. Chair of the Board of Trustees, Mel Winder says, 'The Shanghai residency offered as part of the ongoing partnership between the Michael King Writers Centre Trust and the Shanghai Writers' Association is a highlight for the Trust. We warmly congratulate Shilo Kino on her forthcoming residency in Shanghai'. Mrs. Hu Peihua from the Shanghai Writers Association said 'It is our hope that the international writers will be inspired by their exposure to Chinese culture and Shanghai literature while living in Shanghai. To further this aim, we will host a series of literary events, with a view to introducing the guest writers to the city and the people of Shanghai'.
