Māori-Lule Sámi-English picture book confronts the plastic in our oceans

He Ata te Raru ki Tai?

What’s the Matter with the Sea?

Mij le ábijin dáhpáduvvamin?

 

Rita Sørly

Illustrated by Malgorzata Piotrowska

Māori translation by Kanapu Rangitauira

Lule Sámi translation by Are Tjihkkom

English translation by Maria Nayr de Pinho Correia Ibrahim and Charlotta Maria Langejan

Alerted to the unusual appearance of a rare whale in the north of Norway, Māori marine biologists Aihe and Whina set out from Otago to track its path and find out what is going wrong with the world’s oceans. 

 

In a world first, this unique picture book is trilingual in Māori, the endangered Lule Sámi language, and English (which acts like subtitles, secondary to the indigenous languages). 

It centres the connection between the Sámi peoples of Norway and Māori, while telling a thoughtful story that highlights the need to care for our marine environment.

 

The international coedition with Sámi publisher Davvi Girji was launched at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair on 13 April 2026, as reported in the prestigious Publishing Perspectives magazine. 

The launch included a recorded reading by te reo translator Kanapu Rangitauira and his whānau.

 

Alongside promotion by Davvi Girji, Nord University in Norway and the Norwegian book agency NORLA, Oratia Books is delighted to preview the book’s release on UN World Oceans Day, 8 June.

He Aha te Raru ki Tai? What's the Matter with the Sea? Mij le ábijn dáhpáduvvamin? is on sale at good booksellers from 11 June.

The author, illustrator and translators 

Rita Sørly is a professor in social work, and director of the Arctic Nord blog Youth Research Center at The Arctic University of Norway. She lives Tromsø, northern Norway.

Malgorzata Piotrowska is a Polish-Norwegian illustrator and author of children’s and adults’ books.

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a translator and teacher of te reo Māori who has translated a number of children's books for Oratia.

Lule Sámi translation by Are Tjihkkom; English translation by Maria Nayr Correia Ibrahim & Charlotta Maria Langejan.

Some of the team behind the book at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, April 2026

Publication Date: 11 June 2026  |  ISBN: 9781991353016  |  RRP $29.00

Hardback, 230 x 230 mm, 48 pages, colour

Bilingual picture book offers new answer for that familiar question, How Many Times?

How Many Times?
Me Hia Rawa Ngā Wā?

Tim Tipene
Illustrated by Nicoletta Benella
Translated by Kanapu Rangitauira

Award-winning author shares bilingual tale of how words can teach kids to help around the house 

'How many times do I have to ask?’

That’s a question lots of parents have to put to their kids, after many other requests for help around the house. 

In Tim Tipene’s story, Tammy and Luca are always busy with screens and games to hear Mum asking them to do chores. 

That’s until Mum’s words come to life and take over the house, pinning Grandpa to his chair and launching the kids into action.

Italian-Kiwi artist Nicoletta Benella adds brilliant illustrations, with Rotorua-based Kanapu Rangitauira providing the translation.  

How Many Times? Me Hia Rawa Ngā Wā? is out in bookstores ahead of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week 2025.

A teacher resource is available on the Oratia Books website. 

The authors

Tim Tipene (Ngāti Kurī, Te Uri-o-Hau, Ngāti Whātua) is a pioneering youth counsellor and an award-winning author of children’s books, including Kura Toa Warrior School and Rona Moon. His Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia was shortlisted for the 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Tim lives with his whānau in Rānui, West Auckland. 

Nicoletta Benella is an artist originally from north-eastern Italy, where she was a designer for fashion house Benetton. Among her other illustrations are for Tim’s The Book that Wouldn’t Read / Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia. Nicoletta lives with her family in Hatfields Beach, Auckland.

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a registered translator and teacher of te reo. Among other translations Kanapu has completed for Tim's books are Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia and The Ever-Standing Tree / Te Rākau Tū Tonu. He lives with his whānau in Rotorua. 

Publication: 4 September 2025 | ISBN: 978-1-99-004281-2 | RRP $22.99

Paperback, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

New Tim Tipene picture book retells Rātā and the tree pūrakau in a modern suburb

The Ever-Standing Tree
Te Rākau Tū Tonu

Tim Tipene
Illustrated by Ani Huia Ligaliga
Translated by Kanapu Rangitauira

Modern retelling of a classic story comes to life in picture book about learning respect for nature 

A modern interpretation of the classic pūrākau of Rātā and the tree, Tim Tipene’s The Ever-Standing Tree/Te Rākau Tū Tonu highlights the importance of respecting and protecting nature.

In a typical Kiwi suburb, Dad cuts down the tree in the backyard – to get a better view. Overnight, the insects and birds work their magic and put it back together, leaving the family stunned.

A battle of wills between the blade and nature ensues, until Dad finally comes to realise how special the tree is.

Drawing on Tim’s love of traditional Māori stories, The Ever-Standing Tree/Te Rākau Tū Tonu follows on from his award-winning picture books Māui – Sun Catcher and Rona Moon/Ko Rona Māhina, both legends brought to 21^st-century Aotearoa.

Strikingly illustrated by artist Ani Huia Ligaliga and translated by Kanapu Rangitauira, this bilingual picture book will be in bookstores ahead of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2024.

A teacher resource is available on the Oratia Books website. 

The authors

Tim Tipene (Ngāti Kurī, Te Uri-o-Hau, Ngāti Whātua) is a pioneering youth counsellor and an award-winning author of children’s books, including Kura Toa Warrior School and Rona Moon. His Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia was shortlisted for this year's New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Tim lives in Rānui, West Auckland. 

Ani Huia Ligaliga (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tamanuhiri, Ngāti Rongomaiwahine) is an artist and illustrator. She studied art at Brigham Young University, Hawaii. Ani lives in Hamilton. 

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a registered translator and teacher of te reo. Among other translations Kanapu has completed for Tim's books is Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia. He lives in Rotoiti, Rotorua. 

Publication: 2 September 2024 | ISBN: 978-1-99-004260-7 | RRP $22.99

Paperback, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

New Nanny Mihi book shares gardening wisdom with kids ahead of Matariki

 

Publishing ahead of Matariki, Nanny Mihi's Harvest/Te Hauhake a Nanny Mihi is the perfect book to learn about growing a garden, harvesting, and sharing food — letting tamariki (kids) and whānau (families) explore the significance of harvesting for the Māori New Year.

 

When her mokopuna arrive for the spring school holidays, Nanny Mihi enlists their help to plant seeds in her garden. 

As they return each season, the kids see their labours bear fruit, helping Nanny harvest, cook and preserve all the produce. 

When a gardening disaster strikes, in Winter, the hard work they put in earlier means that there’s still enough kai for a soup that tastes like ‘Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter’. 

Author Melanie Drewery shares the values of growing our own food, informed by respect for the Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar).

 

With this fourth book, the fast-growing Nanny Mihi series is becoming a perennial for Kiwi kids. 

Like the previous story, Nanny Mihi’s Medicine/Ngā Rongoā a Nanny Mihi, this new release is fully bilingual, beautifully illustrated by West Auckland-based artist Suzanne Simpson and superbly translated by Rotoiti-based Kanapu Rangitauira. 

A teacher resource is available at this link to assist with reading in class. 

The authors

Melanie Drewery (Ngāti Māhanga) works as a potter and writer from her home in Māpua, Nelson. She is an established children’s writer with over 20 titles to her name, including Nanny Mihi and the Rainbow and Nanny Mihi and the Bellbird. 

Suzanne Simpson is an artist who has illustrated numerous picture books and educational texts for children. She lives with her family in Titirangi, Auckland. 

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a registered translator and teacher of te reo. He lives with his whānau in Rotoiti, Rotorua. 

Publication: 4 June 2024 | ISBN: 978-1-99-004257-7 | RRP $21.00

Paperback, 230 x 215 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

Ko Tenga o Waikuta

Here’s a welcome addition to the ranks of children’s books in te reo Māori, produced by the whānau of frequent Oratia contributor and translator Kanapu Rangitauira.

Ko Tenga o Waikuta is a full Māori translation of the book Tenga of Waikuta (1992), written by the late educationalist Kelvin Smyth with photos the renowned Ans Westra, who passed away this year.

Ko Tenga o Waikuta presents a visual diary of a day in the life of Tenga Rangitauira, a seven-year-old Māori boy from Rotorua — describing his family, kura, and friends, as well as cultural activities including tangihanga (funeral ceremony) and the famous love story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai.

To get your copies (priced at $20, plus $9 freight), contact tengaowaikuta@gmail.com

 

Leading author pens innovative book to inspire reluctant readers in English and te reo Māori

The Book that Wouldn't Read / Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia

Tim Tipene

Illustrated by Nicoletta Benella

Translated by Kanapu Rangitauira

Setting out to attract the sort of reluctant reader he used to be, author and youth counsellor Tim Tipene happened upon a neat idea: a book that takes over and effectively reads itself!

In The Book that Wouldn’t Read — and the Māori edition Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia — a boy who doesn’t like reading just has to investigate when he finds that book on the library shelf.

Sentences move around the page, words change colour and disappear, and crazy fonts and characters get him jumping around, even burping (despite being hushed by teacher and classmates).

Illustrator Nicoletta Benella opens up the worlds that come alive when you get into a book, with layout designed to appeal to reluctant or dyslexic readers.

Publishing in English (hardback) and Māori (paperback) editions ahead of Māori Language Week, this is a book just waiting to be read! 

 

A teacher resource is available on the Oratia website.

The author

Tim Tipene (Ngāti Kurī, Ngāti Whātua) is a pioneering youth counsellor and the award-winning author of over 18 children’s books, including Kura Toa Warrior School and Rona Moon. Tim lives in Rānui, West Auckland. See https://www.timtipene.com/

The illustrator

Nicoletta Benella is an illustrator, graphic designer and artisan originally from north-eastern Italy, where she worked as a designer for the fashion house Benetton. She lives with her family in Hatfields Beach, Auckland. 

The translator

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a registered translator and teacher of te reo Māori who has translated a number of works for Oratia Books, He lives with his family in Rotoiti, Rotorua. 

Publication: 1 September 2023  

 ISBNs: 978-1-99-004231-7 (English)  978-1-99-004247-8 (Māori)  

RRP $25.99 (English) hardback, $22.99 (Māori) paperback

270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

The joy of sharing cultures, generations and lunches — meet The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street

 

The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street
Ngā Kuia o te Tiriti o Pikitea        

Renisa Viraj Maki

Illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson

Translated by Kanapu Rangitauira

Touching story about multiple cultures in New Zealand bonding through food and stories across the generations  

‘I hope young readers, and those who read the book with them, connect to this story and see the beauty of our multicultural society,’ says author Renisa Viraj Maki of her debut book. 

‘As an Indian immigrant, I struggled to find stories that celebrate the multicultural experience. That inspired me to write about immigrants and locals connecting across cultures.’

In The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street/Ngā Kuia o te tiriti o Pikitea, Renisa portrays Māori, Ethiopian, Samoan, NZ European, Indian and Chinese grandmothers sharing traditional stories with their grandkids as they make the kids’ lunchboxes for school the next day. 

 

The grandmothers are also preparing dishes for their monthly gathering, where they share their respective traditions and stories.

Sumptuously illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson and with a fine te reo translation by Kanapu Rangitauira, The Grandmothers of Pikitiea Street will be in bookstores ahead of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

Renisa’s hope is that ‘stories like this warm people’s hearts to our shared human experiences. After all, who doesn’t love a hug from grandma or sharing delicious food?’ 

The authors

Renisa Viraj Maki is a Kiwi-Indian leadership consultant and artist who is a graduate in art history. She is dedicated to writing stories that reflect cultural diversity; this is her first book. Renisa lives in Auckland.

Nikki Slade Robinson is an award-winning illustrator and author who has published numerous children’s books, including with Oratia Books There's a Weta on my Sweater and There's a Moa in the Moonlight, with Dawn McMillan. She lives in Ōpotiki.

The translator

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a registered translator and teacher of te reo Māori. Among his book translations is Nanny Mihi's Medicine/Ngā Rongoā a Nanny Mihi (Oratia Books, 2022). Kanapu lives with his family in Rotoiti, Rotorua. 

Publication: 8 September 2022  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004217-1 | RRP $22.99

Paperback, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour