Children's Book Awards dominated by Māori titles
There was Māori representation in almost every category of the awards.
Young people are our rangatira mo apōpō, our leaders of the future, says Ross Calman (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Kāi Tahu), the author of this year's winning book for children and young adults.
Te Tiriti book wins Book of the Year at Children's Book Awards
Calman said it's important that young people understand complex topics like the Treaty of Waitangi. That's why he wrote a book with that title, which took out the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction prizes.
"For me that's our most important audience to reach, they have the fate of our nation, the future of our nation in their hands and so if you can reach ngā tamariki then you've got a good chance for building something positive for our future."
Ross Calman won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award at the 2025 NZ Children's Book Awards for his book, The Treaty of Waitangi.
Vijay Paul
Calman said he was completely overwhelmed by the win. He thought he didn't have much chance given the calibre of books up for the non-fiction award.
"It just feels quite affirming after having spent so many years writing about these topics such as the Treaty and other important historical topics."
The Treaty of Waitangi was praised by the judges for its concision without avoiding uncomfortable truths.
"I was once given some advice about writing for children which was just picture yourself speaking to your own son or your own daughter and try to explain a topic to them in ways they will understand. So that was my starting point," Calman said at the awards.
The book tries to give children a sense of the different cultures that make up our nation.
"We're still kind of working through that nearly 200 years later, we're still sometimes talking past one another. But it's a worthwhile project we should keep going."
Witi Ihimaera's three year challenge
Legendary author Witi Ihimaera (Te Whānau a Kai) won the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for a Translated Work, along with translator Hēni Jacob, for Ariā me te Atua o te Kūmara.
Witi Ihimaera
supplied
Ihimaera said at the awards that in two or three years' time he would be writing a book in te reo first. Jacob (Ngāti Raukawa) joked that she would be made redundant in three years.
"I have actually tried it already but it's much too soon. The interesting thing about writing in te reo is that the lilt of the language and the rerenga of the language is something that still eludes me in terms of making sure that the words connect with one another to make magic.
"And while I can do that in English I have yet to master the language sufficiently to do that," Ihimaera told RNZ.
He attempted to write a book in te reo earlier this year but the "psychic connection between the kupu (words)" wasn’t there, he said.
Hineraukatauri and the whakapapa of sound
Hineraukatauri me Te Ara Pūoro, which charts the journey of Hineraukatauri, a revered goddess of music, picked up two awards - one for illustrator Rehua Wilson (Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa) and one for a book originally written in te reo Māori for author Elizabeth Gray.
Gray (Ngāti Rēhia, Ngāti Uepōhatu, Tama Ūpoko ki te awa tipua, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) told RNZ she knew the book was popular in te ao Māori and the world of children learning te reo, but said she had no idea other people would like it too.
Gray is part of Haumanu Collective, a group dedicated to the revival and teaching of taonga pūoro, or traditional instruments.
"Everything that's embodied in this book Hineraukatauri me Te Ara Pūoro it's based on the whakapapa of sound, where Hineraukatauri falls into one of the baskets of knowledge, comes down to this realm, has no voice and so seeks the taonga, the koha from different atua to find her voice."
Hineraukatauri is symbolised by the pūtōrino, a flute shaped like the cocoon of the case moth. Before her acceptance speech at the awards on Thursday night, Gray played the pūtōrino on stage.
"I wanted our people in all facets of the world to learn that taonga pūoro is continuously embedding itself in our ao, regardless of whether you're Māori or not," she said.
Book covers of the winners from top left, clockwise: The Raven's Eye Runaways by Claire Mabey, The Paradise Generation by Sanna Thompson, Hineraukatauri me Te Ara Pūoro by Rehua Wilson, Titiro Look by Gavin Bishop, Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen and Ariā me te Atua o te Kūmara written by Witi Ihimaera.
Supplied / Allen & Unwin, Umop Apisdn Press, Huia Publishers, Gecko Press, Penguin Books NZ
Eboni Waitere, director of independent Māori publishing company Huia, who published Hineraukatauri me Te Ara Pūoro said there was Māori representation in almost every category of the awards.
Waitere (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne ki Wairarapa) said it showed the depth and breadth of Māori writers.
"You saw books that were bilingual, you saw books that were all in te reo Māori, you saw translators and you saw illustrators, across the range of all of the categories you saw some amazing talent. And it really shows the depth and how much work has been going in over the years."
