Share a New Zealand book for children or teens for infants or younger children written in te reo Māori
Toitū.
Written by Pania Tahau-Hodges.
Nā Josie Selkirk ngā pikitia.
Huia, 2026.
Also published as:
Hīkoi: a Māori alphabet book for little
(and not-so-little) activists.
E haere ana a Moko rāua tahi ko Koro ki te hīkoi ki
Paremata. Koa katoa a Moko i te mea koinei tana hīkoi tuatahi. Engari anō a
Koro hoki ana ōna mahara ki ērā atu tohe me ngā whakatipuranga i hīkoi mō te
tika. Whakapiripiri mai ana te huinga tāngata, te huinga hapori, ko rātou katoa
e haere tahi ana, kua herea kia kotahi mō te tētāhi ao e ora ai te katoa.
Inspired by the hīkoi in response to the Treaty Principles
Bill, this story draws on the words of resilience and resistance that have
inspired generations of Māori in the determination for our land, language and
right to live as Maori and shape our own destiny. In the story, a koro and his
moko join the hīkoi to parliament and remember past actions and activists who
marched for justice. In the march, there are many figures from many communities
and many walks of life, but they all walk in the same direction, unified in a
vision of the future in which people thrive. The words of the story inspire us
to be resilient and remind us that we are not alone, and that in coming
together we are powerful.
I’ve heard Pania talk about the inspiration for this, and the
process around the te reo Pāhekā translation. I love that the publication team
decided NOT to us the English alphabet for the English language version – ie a,
b, c – instead they kept with the Māori alphabet.
Toitū is brilliant. The text is much simpler than in Hīkoi, because, as Pania explained, much doesn’t have to be explained to te reo Māori readers.
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