Landmark, bilingual guide to Māori idioms and new reo-only editions out ahead of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

He Kete Kīwaha
A Practical Guide to Māori Idioms

Hona Black

Invaluable guide to more than 180 kīwaha (idioms) that can enrich te reo Māori speakers and learners at all levels

Plus He Iti te Kupu and Ngā Hapa Reo, Māori editions

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!

Idioms — the everyday turns of phrase that give a language its character — are a key part of speaking fluently, and te reo Māori is rich in them. 

This collection, whose title translates as ‘a basket of idioms’, is the first book on Māori kīwaha in more than 25 years, and the first bilingual one.

It publishes on 10 September, just in time for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week, which starts on Monday 14th.

Drawing on extensive research and consultation with te reo experts including Sir Tīmoti Kāretu and Te Haumihiata Mason, newly appointed professor of te reo Māori Hona Black offers a comprehensive guide to more than 180 idioms — presented in Māori on the left-hand pages, English on the right.

Using one, two or three kete symbols, He Kete Kīwaha grades each idiom for difficulty so readers can access language to suit their level. 

In addition to clear explanations, each entry has examples from written sources and others created by the author. There are also spaces for readers to add their own idioms to the mix.

As Hona Black writes in the introduction: ‘Above all, the hope is that this book will be of value to those who aspire to weave Māori idioms naturally into their language use.’

Also publishing on 10 September are te reo Māori editions of two of Hona's popular earlier books. 

             

He Iti te Kupu: Ngā Huahuatau me Ngā Kupu Whakarite contains nearly 500 metaphors and similes that draw a comparison between something (often the natural world) and people, events or contexts. It was first published in 2021 in Māori and English, and has sold over 10,000 copies.

Ngā Hapa Reo, co-written by Te Aorangi Murphy-Fell and published bilingually in 2024, identifies the main errors that crop up in modern Māori, offering examples and then guiding readers on how to make corrections.

These Māori-only editions target learners in Māori-medium schools and immersion classes, and proficient speakers who don’t need the support of English.

The original bilingual editions remain in print, of course! 

Kia kaha te reo Māori!

The author 

Hona Black (Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is the inaugural professor of te reo Māori at Te Kawa a Māui at Te Herenga Waka, University of Wellington. He was previously a lecturer in Māori at Massey University in Palmerston North. 

Hona is the author of He Iti te Kupu: Māori Metaphors and Similes, Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour and, with Te Aorangi Murphy-Fell, Ngā Hapa Reo: Common Māori Language Errors. He is from the Ruātoki Valley, and lives with his whānau in Porirua.

HE KETE KĪWAHA

Publication: 10 September 2026  |  ISBN: 9781991353030  |  RRP $45

Paperback, 210 x 248 mm portrait, 408 pages, black & white

HE ITI TE KUPU (MĀORI EDITION)
Publication: 10 September 2026 | ISBN: 9781991353085 | RRP $34.99  Paperback, 210 x 148 mm, 124 pages, black & white

NGĀ HAPA REO (MĀORI EDITION)

Publication: 10 September 2026 | ISBN: 9781991353092 | RRP $34.99

 Paperback, 210 x 148 mm, 176 pages, black & white

There's a Crab in my Castle takes young readers to the rocky shore

There’s a Crab in my Castle / He Pāpaka kei taku Pā

Dawn McMillan

Illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson

Translated by Stephanie Huriana Fong

Fourth book in bilingual nature story series takes young readers to meet seaside creatures 

Summer is coming and there’s plenty of action for young readers down at the seashore in the latest addition to the nature story series by bestselling author Dawn McMillan.

When an inquisitive girl goes to the rocky shore she builds a sandcastle and soon gets many visitors: crab and sandhoppers, snapper, kina, manta ray and more.

 

The fun ensemble of seaside creatures is brought to life across colourful pages with evocative pictures.

With an info page about the animals encountered, There’s a Crab in my Castle encourages young readers to explore the rocky shore and learn about the creatures of sand and sea.

 

A classy hardback edition with bilingual text in English and Māori, this is a book for the bach and for whānau to read together at the end of a long day at the beach.

A teacher resource will be available on the Oratia website.

The Authors

Dawn McMillan is an internationally bestselling writer of children’s books who lives north of Thames. Among her many popular works are I Need a New Bum! and Colour the Stars. She began her Nature Series of books in 2018.

Nikki Slade Robinson is an award-winning, globally successful illustrator and writer who lives in Ōpōtiki. Among her other works are the Muddle and Mo series and The Seven Stars of Matariki. She has also illustrated Dawn's nature book There's a Tui in our Teapot and There's a Moa in the Moonlight. 

Stephanie Huriana Fong is a translator and TV presenter who lives with her whānau in Auckland. She has translated other books by Dawn including Kia Hou Taku Tou! (the Māori edition of I Need a New Bum!).

Publication Date: 15 October 2024 |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004262-1 |  RRP $25.99

Hardback, 270 x 210 mm, 32 pages colour

Correcting common errors in te reo Māori for all levels of students and speakers

Ngā Hapa Reo: Common Māori Language Errors
Hona Black and Te Aorangi Murphy-Fell

Bilingual addition to Oratia’s te reo reference series explains and corrects common errors in Māori

Māori language teachers and consultants Hona Black and Te Aorangi Murphy-Fell hear a lot of common errors in te reo, not only in the courses they teach but also among fluent speakers. 

That motivated the pair to write Ngā Hapa Reo, making readers aware of common Māori language errors and how to right them, so that the reo can flourish in the future.

 

From choosing between awhi and āwhina, to the importance of tohutō (macrons), to whether to address a friend as ‘Hēmi’ or ‘e Hēmi’ — the new book deals with word choice, grammar, interference from English and more. It profiles more than 150 common errors, with explanations about how to correct them.

Chapter openings are in Māori on left-hand pages and English on the right, while examples are profiled on one page, making this bilingual book accessible to readers of all levels of fluency.

 

Ngā Hapa Reo adds to Oratia's language reference series, which includes Hona's books He Iti te Kupu: Māori Metaphors and Similes and Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour.

Published in time for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, this new work fills a gap in the market for language resources. 

The authors

Hona Black (Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) lectures on teaching for Māori medium schools at Massey University, Palmerston North. This is his third book about te reo Māori. Hona lives in Porirua with his partner and their son. 

Te Aorangi Murphy-Fell (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Apa) is a Māori language and education consultant for Haemata Limited. He has a keen interest in governance and holds several directorships. Te Aorangi lives in Whakatāne with his family.

Publication: 2 September 2024 | ISBN: 978-1-99-004259-1 | RRP $39.99

Paperback, 210 x 148 mm portrait, 196 pages, b&w

Award-winning bilingual picture book now in new paperback edition

 

Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna 
Listen to your Ancestors
BILINGUAL

Darryn Joseph
Illustrated by Munro Te Whata

Back in an attractive paperback edition is the award-winning book that helped launch Darryn Joseph as a leading author and promoter of children’s literature. 

 

Darryn had penned a score of readers for Māori immersion education, before Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna / Listen to your Ancestors came as his first book for the general market, in 2019. 

 

That hardback book won the NZSA Heritage Book Award, Māori section in 2020, and is now available in a lower-priced paperback. 

Set in a school and a rest home, Darryn’s story follows a teacher giving life lessons to her students based on the example of Māori gods and ancestors.

 

As the story unfolds, the teacher ages and retires, and her granddaughter cares for her until her death. Her granddaughter also a teacher, then begins to pass on to her pupils lessons from the ancestors.

Beautifully illustrated by Munro Te Whata, the book dives deep into te Ao Māori, the connection to tūpuna and to the natural world, the concepts of aroha and manaakitanga.

 

Darryn has gone on to a range of collaborations and translations with noted author-illustrator Donovan Bixley, as well as judging for the New Zealand Book Awards and being a trustee of the Storylines Children’s Literature Trust. 

The authors

Darryn Joseph (Ngāti Maniapoto) is an author and language consultant who was for over 20 years a senior lecturer in Māori language at Massey University, Palmerston North. He is the author or translator of some 30 books, mainly for Māori immersion education. 

Munro Te Whata (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Niue) is an animator, artist and writer who has illustrated several books. He lives with this family in Auckland where he works in and teaches animation and illustration. 

Publication: 5 March 2024  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-67-4  |  RRP $22.99

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

How to be funny in te reo Māori | The Project NZ

Hona Black and his new book, Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour
on The Project NZ. 

Kei te reo Māori inaianei te paetukutuku o Oratia – Oratia web pages now in te reo Māori

I te kainamutanga o Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, e harikoa ana a Oratia Media ki te tuku i tā mātou paetukutuku i te reo Māori me te reo Ingarihi hoki.

With Māori Language Week about to start, Oratia Media is pleased to make our website available in te reo Māori as well as English. 

 

Mā te pāwhiri i ngā pātene reo Ingarihi, reo Māori rānei i te pito mauī whakarunga o ngā whārangi matua o www.oratia.co.nz, e taea ai e ngā manuhiri te tīpako i te reo e hiahiatia ana.

By clicking on buttons for English or Māori at the top left of the main pages on www.oratia.co.nz, visitors to the site can choose their preferred language. 

 

Mā te whai paetukutuku reorua e whakaatu i tō mātou manawanuitanga ki te whanaketanga me te whakamahinga o te reo Māori i ia rā i ia rā, ā, he whakamihi anō hoki i ngā reo whaimana o Aotearoa. 

Having a bilingual website reflects our commitment to the development and use of te reo Māori everyday, and recognises the official languages of Aotearoa New Zealand. 

 

E mihi ana ki te kaiwhakawhiti reo rēhita, a Kanapu Rangitauira, i āna whakamāoritanga tino pai rawa atu. 

 

Our thanks to registered translator and regular contributor, Kanapu Rangitauira, for his excellent translation. 

Ka mahi tonu a Oratia Books kia nui haere ai tā mātou rārangi pukapuka reo Māori, reorua hoki, pērā i ngā whakaputanga o tēnei marama: Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour, nā Hona Black, me Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia, nā Tim Tipene rāua ko Nicoletta Benella, ā, nā Kanapu i whakamāori. 

 

Oratia Books will continue to increase our list of Māori language resources and bilingual books, as evidenced by this month’s publications: Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour, by Hona Black, and The Book that Wouldn’t Read/Te Pukapuka ka kore e Pānuihia, by Tim Tipene and Nicoletta Benella, translated by Kanapu. 

Kia kaha te reo Māori!

Bilingual book brings to life the humour of te reo Māori

Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour

Hona Black

Publishing on 1 September, a new book by scholar Hona Black lifts the curtain on all the humour, wit, innuendo and play that distinguishes everyday te reo Māori.

Te Reo Kapekape (literally, ‘the language of poking fun’) will make readers cry with laughter, engage in lively banter, and perhaps blush a little. 

From calling a silly person a ‘roro hipi / sheep’s brain’, to telling them to get stuffed or suggesting they live amongst the dinosaurs (‘Ētahi mokoweri!’), this book has a witty saying or comeback for any situation.

Using a cast of characters and dramatised dialogue, Hona explains more than 130 phrases and gives examples and suggestions for use – whether to tease, crack a joke or just add some spice to the language. 

The text is printed in te reo on the left-hand pages and English on the right, making it accessible to language learners, fluent speakers or general readers interested in Māori culture and language. 

 

With this new publication, Hona aims to ‘reposition te reo kapekape as a language of every day again, in the hope that it is heard and that Māori can once again laugh through their own language.’ 

Te Reo Kapekape extends Oratia's language reference series, which includes Hona's first book, He Iti te Kupu: Māori Metaphors and Similes.

 

Publishing in time for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Te Reo Kapekape offers plenty of ideas to have fun and spice up your language, while supporting the revitalisation of te reo Māori.

The author

Hona Black (Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) lectures on teaching for Māori medium schools at Te Pūtahi a Toi: School of Māori Knowledge at Massey University, Palmerston North. He has worked as the Senior Māori Adviser on Massey’s Wellington campus, and been Head of Te Reo Māori at Hato Pāora College in Feilding. Hona lives in Porirua with his partner and their baby son.

Publication: 1 September 2023  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004237-9 | RRP $39.99

Paperback, 210 x 148 mm portrait, 308 pages, b&w

First fully bilingual Sharing our Stories book connects kids with local heritage and multiple cultures

The River in our Backyard 
Te Awa e Pātata Rawa Ana   

                       

Malcolm Paterson
Illustrated by Martin Bailey

You don’t need an overseas trip to encounter centuries of history and unique environments, as the Sharing Our Stories books reveal.

The River in our Backyard /Te Awa e Pātata Rawa Ana is the fourth in the series and the first to be fully bilingual in English and te reo, both written by Malcolm Paterson. 

It also includes Tamil language, and publishes just ahead of the Diwali festival.

Malcolm says he is delighted to offer a new book through which tamariki and their whānau can engage with their social, cultural and environmental heritage — and which can be a local curriculum resource for schools. 

"My Indian Malaysian wife and I have a lovely 'fruit salad' whānau and there are many others like us. I hope that they see themselves reflected in my books, which acknowledge different cultures in our communities."

The new story again follows cousins Tui and Jennifer and their whānau on a voyage of discovery, this time into the history and nature of Auckland’s Te Atatū Peninsula and nearby places within reach by sea and river.

The children learn local heritage, human development and impact, the environment and conservation, and get to join in Diwali celebrations.

All the adventures are brought to life in Martin Bailey’s vibrant artwork. A Teacher Resource PDF for the book is also available on our website.

The authors

Malcolm Paterson belongs to Ngāti Whātua iwi, for which he plays heritage, commercial and environmental roles. He is the author of the previous three  Sharing our Stories books. Malcolm  lives with his family in Te Atatū, Auckland. 

Martin Bailey is a well-known illustrator who has created dozens of  children’s books, including illustrations for The Taniwha in our Backyard. He also manages the publisher Black Chook Books. Martin lives in Muriwai.

Exploring historic sites on Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland while working on The River in our Backyard/Te Awa e Pātata Rawa Ana. From left: author Malcom Paterson (pictured with his eldest son, Davin), illustrator Martin Bailey (centre) and publisher Peter Dowling

Publication Date: 17 October 2022 |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004219-5 |  RRP $22.99

Paperback, 284 x 208 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour 

Kia Hou Taku Tou! – kua reo Māori a I Need a New Bum!

Kia Hou Taku Tou/I Need a New Bum!

Translated by Stephanie Huriana Fong

Written by Dawn McMillan

Illustrated by Ross Kinnaird

Te reo Māori edition out tomorrow marks tenth-anniversary of global bestseller I Need a New Bum!

It was hearing her own tamariki plead to have Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird’s books in te reo that motivated translator Stephanie Huriana Fong to get to work on the bestselling I Need a New Bum!.

Her sparkling, rhyming Māori version of the text arrives with perfect timing in September — ready for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2022, and also marking ten years since the book first hit the shelves. 

 

All of the colourful and active main text is in te reo, following our hero as he searches for a tou hou/new bum, after finding that his one has a crack. 

Kia hou taku tou! Ko tōku, kua tawhā. 

Ki te whakaata kitea ai te tāwha i muri nā.

 

‘Subtitles’ in English run at the bottom of the page to help readers of all ages to understand and learn.

Stephanie’s gorgeous rhyming reo is available at good booksellers nationwide from 1 September.

Kia Hou Taku Tou! ‘brings the New Bum home’ almost exactly 10 years after it was published on 20 September 2012. 

It marks the latest in a string of language versions — the boy with the cracked behind has delighted readers in American English, Chinese, Italian, Korean and Portuguese, with further editions under development in Spanish and Turkish. 

The translator

Stephanie Huriana Fong (Te Rarawa) is a registered translator of te reo Māori who also appears on Māori Television and in other media. She has translated several other books, including Rona Moon (Oratia Books, 2020). Stephanie lives with her whānau in Te Atatū, Auckland.

The authors

Dawn McMillan is the much-loved author of numerous children’s books including I Need a New Bum! , Doctor Grundy’s Undies and the 2020 release Sir Singlet. She lives in Waiomu, north of Thames. Ross Kinnaird is a legendary illustrator and designer whose books have been published around the world, many of them in collaboration with Dawn. He lives close to the water on Auckland’s North Shore. 

Publication: 1 September 2022  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004224-9 | RRP $19.99

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