Māori writers and illustrators are well represented among the finalists for the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Across the award’s six categories, 29 finalists were shortlisted.
Brianne Te Paa is a finalist in two separate award categories. Her book How My Koro Became a Star is nominated for the Picture Book Award, while its Māori translation Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro is a finalist for the Kura Pounamu Award.
Witi Ihimaera and Jane Cooper are finalists alongside Te Paa for the Kura Pounamu Award, which is for books written entirely in te reo Māori.
Te Paa said her books were about a koro and his love for his mokopuna and for Matariki.
“The koro in the story teaches his mokupuna about the tikanga associated with celebrating Matariki, like creating a hautapu and calling out the names of our loved ones when Matariki rises so that they can become stars in the night sky.”
Te Paa is an assistant principal at Kaipara College, and although the rangatahi she worked with were a bit old for the books coming out of the awards they were still a good resource for second language learners their age.
Māori children needed to have books in te reo that were relevant to them, she said.
Cover of Brianne Te Paa's book written in Te Reo, Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro, nominated for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Photo / Supplied
“There are lots and lots of resources that have been made historically but there can always be more. More relevant kōrero for our tamariki, for our Māori students and especially [for] our reo speaking kids. We always need more books written in Māori, there will never be enough.”
Te Paa said she had seen many stories translated from English to Māori but not so many that started off in te reo, and she said there was a difference between them.
Her own book was first written in English before being translated into te reo as Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro.
“The more people who can start their books in reo and then translate them into te reo Pākehā the better I think. It just gives for a richer kōrero because of the depths of our reo,” she said.
Both How My Koro Became a Star and Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro were illustrated by Story Hemi-Morehouse.
This year the judging panel wanted to have children more involved in the assessment process for the awards, so 15 primary, intermediate and secondary schools from across the motu were recruited to offer feedback.
Each school was sent a selection of entries from relevant categories, together with review forms and judging guidelines to encourage critical thinking about the books. Their feedback was then shared with the judges.
The ceremony to announce the winners will take place in Wellington on Thursday, August 10.
The winners of each of the six main categories - Picture Book, Junior Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction, Illustration and Te Reo Māori - will take home $7500 and will then be in the running to be named the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, with a further $7500 prize money.
