The growing space of Māori storytelling within Aotearoa’s children’s literature shone brightly this week as Māori took out major awards at the 2026 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Māori book writers, translators and illustrators gained recognition across 7 out of 9 of the categories.
The categories ranged from best illustration and non-fiction to best te reo Māori translation.
Zeb Tamihana Nicklin (Pāhauwera, Ruapani, Tūhoe, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri), who shares a deep commitment to revitalising te reo Māori, won the NZSA Best First Book Award for Te Onehaumoko, his young adult novella written completely in the language. His book talks of a teenager named Tawa who finds a time-travelling shed in his garden and uses it to meet his ancestors and paramount chiefs of the past.
Tamihana Nicklin says he is grateful to see the amount of Māori receiving recognition and emphasises the importance of Māori storytelling for children.
“Kāore he nui ngā pukapuka kei te reo Māori mō ā tātou tamariki, mokopuna, kei roto i ngā kura kaupapa, i ngā kura a te Pākehā. Kei reira ā tātou tamariki, nō reira he mea pai hei akiaki, otirā hei whakaaweawe, hei whakamāori anō o rātou whakaaro kia kite ai a tātou kōrero o te ao Māori”.
Mat Tait (Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāti Kuia, Rangitāne o Wairau), who received two awards for his te reo Māori translation and illustration of the book Kupe me te Wheke nui a Muturangi, says Māori storytelling has only increased.
“Every time I’ve been to the awards in whatever capacity I’ve been there, I’ve just seen it growing and growing... a recognition that they are really crucial works of literature, and not only that, but that they’re just so good”.
The top prize of the night for Margaret Mahy Book of the Year went to popular picture book author and illustrator team Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata) who won the award a second time.
Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu), who received an award for her non-fiction book Whenua: Māori Pūrākau of Aotearoa, says she was surprised to have won her category considering the calibre of book writers, but noted that there is a demand for the Māori books, with her own selling out fast.
“Publishers are committed to publishing a lot more te reo Māori and Māori content stories, and I think that’s because we are at a time where it’s becoming increasingly known that we are a very mixed society,” she says.
“I think that a lot of tamariki from all backgrounds are gravitating towards te ao Māori stories and books because it grounds us in a place and in history”.
Two separate panels were used to assess all English and te reo Māori entries, the latter including Dr Hona Black.
He says the night was a sign of the place te reo Māori has in Aotearoa, as well as the hard work of writers and publishers.
“He mana nui tō te reo Māori, he mana nui tō te tirohanga Māori i Aotearoa nei, otirā i te ao mātauranga, i ō tātou kāinga, i ngā whānau e pānui pukapuka ana ki a tātou tamariki, nō reira he koanga ngākau kei roto i tērā i te mea kua horapa haere, nō reira e akiaki ana au.”
