Reading Stories from Aotearoa NZ

Tania K Roxborogh (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri) 
2020 
Huia Publishers 

Themes: Adventure, fantasy, Māori mythology

The Supreme Winner of the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year in 2021 merges action adventure with contemporary Māori mythology. This text also honours our Te Tiriti o Waitangi Treaty of Waitangi principles of participation, active protection and partnership in its themes exploring disability, family and kaitiakitanga. The glossary at the back is ultra-handy for less proficient speakers of te reo Māori which is woven throughout the novel. 

Liz van der Laarse 
2018 
OneTree House 

Themes: Survival, loss, family, NZ bush lore 

Two teen cousins use their strength, wits and the knowledge of their tupuna to survive a shocking accident, finally making their way home through miles of remote NZ bush. A story about identity, valuing mātauranga Māori and the strength that is to be found in whānau. For younger audiences, as it is quite a simple read. 

Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith 
2018 
Scholastic 

Themes: Family, race, identity, migration

Examines the Dawn raids from a perspective that doesn't assume prior knowledge. A straightforward, accessible narrative style that would appeal to intermediate-aged readers. 

James Russell
2017 
Dragon Brothers Books 

Themes: Adventure, fantasy, teamwork, standing up for your beliefs 

A fun adventurous read in large font that makes it easy for less confident readers. There are a number of books in the series, giving kids something to move onto next, as well as a way to connect the book to an app that expands the world of the story. Another way in for those who can't put their devices away. 

Tim Jones
2023
The Cuba Press

Themes: environment; climate; activism

A timely and gripping climate fiction thriller aimed at 13-15 year olds. Rather than preaching or taking sides, Jones uses his characters to showcase a range of perspectives on the climate crisis, providing a great springboard for further discussion.

Ataria Sharman (Tapuika, Ngā Puhi)
2021 
Huia Publishers 

Themes: Whānau, fantasy, adventure, atua Māori

Hine and the Tohunga Portal is a refreshing and adventurous tale, with Māori concepts and kupu naturally woven into the story. The fantasy escapade is told through both Hine and Hōhepe, siblings who find themselves thrown into a new world full of spirits and animals from Māori myth and legend. 

Anne Kayes 
2021 
David Bateman Ltd 

Themes: Race relations, apartheid 

Written during lockdown, this text connects directly to the Kiwi experience of 2020-2021. The novel's interesting structure teaches us about the tradition of 'he waka eke noa' by comparing the Covid-19 rāhui to the Springbok Tour and the social action surrounding it. Kayes deals with ideas of racism, leadership and finding your voice. This is a perfect text to explore alongside a range of Social Studies contexts; protest, social action and perspectives. We are also extremely fortunate as the author is available for school visits. 

Mandy Hager
2014
Penguin NZ

Themes: environment, bullying, loss

A beautifully written and emotionally driven story set in the Marlborough Sounds, suitable for secondary students. With a protagonist who defies stereotypes and a poignant exploration of themes, the book not only captivates with its engaging narrative but also addresses important societal issues. Its subtle approach may require patience from those seeking instant action, but the compelling storyline makes it highly recommended for classroom use.

Shilo Kino (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto) 
2020 
Huia Publishers 

Themes: Whānau, tino rangatiratanga, kaitiakitanga, Te Ao Māori, colonization, activism, protest. 

The Pōrangi Boy is a relevant and timely story about a young boy standing up for what he believes in. A great example of tino rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga for a younger audience. Impacts of colonisation are explored in this text, as well as the importance of te ao Māori. 

Jax Calder
2023
One Tree House

Themes: LGBTQIA+, romance, identity

A best-seller in teen LGBTQIA+ fiction, our teen reviewers were thrilled with this book as a quick read that was very hard to put down. It will be enticing for students who're already into fanfic or similar genres but aren't sure where to start with Aotearoa books, and there's plenty of material for character study.

Latika Vasil
2023
Black Giraffe Press

Themes: survival, identity, trust, corruption

A young adult dystopian adventure story which focuses on a young girl's quest for survival in the aftermath of a devastating virus. Written in a simple and accessible register, this is an easy and enjoyable read that feels similar to zombie and other apocalypse style narratives. It also provides a platform from which to explore students' own experiences of the pandemic.

Emma Ling Sidnam
2023
Text Publishing

Themes: identity, culture, love

A highly accessible exploration of identity and self-acceptance by an emerging writer. Our teen reviewer enjoyed the way diversity and culture were woven seamlessly into the story and how the protagonist grew and developed throughout.

Whiti Hereaka (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa) 
2013 
Huia Publishers 

'Bugs' is a great story about three teenagers making bad choices. Ultimately, Bugs must make the decision to leave her friends behind to pursue her future. There is some language and content that not every kaiako will be comfortable with, please read it first for yourself before purchasing a class set! However, I really enjoyed the complexities and flaws in Bugs' character and the choice that she makes which redeems her. 

Eileen Merriman
2023
Penguin NZ

This is the prequel to Merriman's acclaimed Catch Me When You Fall, tracking the much-loved protagonist Jamie. The novel deals with weighty themes including depression, suicide, and mental health, but in prose that's accessible for early-mid high school readers, with simple diction and plot and short chapters.

Josie Shapiro
2023
Penguin NZ

Themes: athletics, dyslexia, mental health

A poignant and captivating coming-of-age story about a young New Zealand woman's pursuit of her athletic dreams. Some serious themes, such as an eating disorder and mental health, but a highly worthwhile discussion for older readers and a poignant exploration of pursuing one's passions in the face of adversity.

Marie Cardno
2022
Paper Road Press

Themes: LGBTQIA+, fantasy

A captivating story bound up in novella form that defies genre conventions with its blend of sapphic romance and speculative fiction. A great study for both world-building and narrative, and given the short length the sequel could also be incorporated for keen readers.

Lloyd Jones
2008 
Penguin Books New Zealand 

Themes: Coming of age, identity, leadership

Shaped by Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, this text is set in the civil war of Bougainville, New Guinea, in the 1990s and is suitable for sophisticated senior readers. While containing conflict and violence, it also speaks to the way literature can save us. 

Patricia Grace (Ngāti Raukawa, Te Āti Awa) 
Penguin Books New Zealand 

Themes: Land loss, protest, Pūrākau, whānau, disability 

Potiki tells the story of a whānau facing land loss and follows their fight to retain the land. The narrative alternates between the members of the whānau. Students initially find the structure difficult; it is worthwhile spending some time unpacking the Māui tales to find the similarities between Toko and Māui. This text works well as a cross-curricular text alongside an exploration of the land protests of the late 1970s, and the protests at Ihumātao demonstrates its relevance today. It is also worthwhile delving into Grace's own fight against the Public Works Act. Potiki is one of the only novels that has a character with an intellectual impairment and another one with a physical disability. Their disabilities are not the focus of the novel, but just one aspect of their character.   

Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, W̱SÁNEĆ)
2022
THWUP

Themes: history, indigeneity, belonging

What a brilliant concept, envisioning a shared past between two indigenous cultures. As a Canadian immigrant, this book is gold. It's a meaty book with a lot to it, so it would be best placed in a Year 12 or 13 class. There's some tricky content, so be mindful when reading and discussing.

Lani Wendt Young 
2011 
One Tree House 

Themes: Mythology, Identity, Environment

This book's reputation as Samoa's answer to 'Twilight' is well-deserved. A flirty coming-of-age story with a supernatural twist, this book draws heavily on the spiritual traditions of Samoa. Perhaps more appealing to girls, with a strong romance theme, it has strong potential as a lower senior text due to the cultural allusions, symbolism and environmental motifs. 

Anna Smaill
2015
Hachette Australia

Themes: music, memory, censorship

A beautifully original depiction of a post-apocalyptic world. You could approach in the same manner as more classic dystopian texts and take a world-building or social history lens, or explore the poetic writing style and devices.

Tessa Duder
2023
Penguin NZ

Themes: colonisation, identity, gender

Suited for a Year 11/NCEA Leve One text. The novel is set in the nineteenth century and focuses on settler colonial Tāmaki Makaurau through the eyes of young Harry. The novel would allow for interesting discussions on important social issues such as the treatment of women, Māori, and the ongoing impacts of colonisation. Its basis in real life people from Aotearoa could be used for engaging research.

Witi Ihimaera (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Khungunu, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata,
Ngāti Porou & Whakatōhea) 
2013 
Penguin Books New Zealand 

Themes: Identity, class, colonization 

'White Lies' explores issues of identity, colonisation, and abortion from the view of Paraiti: a Medicine Woman who is grounded in whakapapa and knowledge of who she is. She comes into conflict with Rebecca Vickers, a woman who has gained success in the Pākehā world by depressing her Māori identity. The text includes the original novella 'Medicine Woman', which has been revised and republished as 'White Lies' and also includes Diana Rotberg's script for the film adaption. 

Ashleigh Young 
2016 
Te Herenga Waka Press 

Themes: Identity, belonging 

Ashleigh Young has become something of an iconic New Zealand essayist and this collection holds a number of her explorations through the weird and wonderful, the personal and first/second/third person. Many could be used as models for student writing as a way to develop voice. 

Rose Lu
2019
THWUP

Themes: belonging, identity, diaspora

What a brilliant book to have as a resource: I think this is a text every teacher should read. It could work well as individual short stories or personal essays with a junior class, which some would complement other studied texts in the senior school. I'll be teaching Cleaver to my Year 12s and All Who Live on Islands to my Year 9s. Alphabet Game is a great one to spark some creative writing.

Sarah Laing 
2016 
Te Herenga Waka Press 

Themes: Graphic Novel, identity 

Laing's lovely watercolour illustrations and sense of humour feature in this comparison of Laing's journey as compared to Mansfield's. Would support students in considering themselves in comparison with their own heroes, as well as cracking the door to Mansfield open a bit further. 

Alice Te Punga Somerville (Te Āti Awa, Taranaki) 
2020 
BWB Texts 

Themes: Aotearoa history, Captain Cook, colonisation

A pocket rocket of a book, perfect for kickstarting seniors to write essays, explore voice and think about critical lenses. An accessible, articulate and fun way into issues of colonisation. 

This book offers readers a fascinating challenge about how we use our voice to frame, minimise or elevate history. I think it could have legs as an assessment text in its own right. 

Nina Mingya Powles
2022
Allen & Unwin

Themes: migration, culture, family

Nina Mingya Powles weaves together memories, dreams, and nature writing in particularly lyrical and beautiful prose (she is also a poet). Some students will relate to her search for belonging and memories of growing up between two cultures.

Karlo Mila 
2020 
Huia Publishers

Themes: Pasifika identity, Aotearoa politics 

Feminine and feminist, the poems in this book are as beautiful as the stunning typesetting. Mila draws inspiration from Oceania, from Aotearoa and Hawai'i, from the environment and from whakakpapa. Mila's poetry is sensual, empowering and honest. 

Jackson Nieuwland (Always Becominging)
2020 
Compound Press

Themes: Poetry, identity, sexuality, relationships, trans author

Winner of the Ockham NZ Book Awards MitoQ Best First Book Award for Poetry in 2021, Nieuwland plays with identity, perspective and self-aware humour. 

Joanna Cho
2022
THWUP

Themes: sport, identity, culture

Cho draws upon and cleverly subverts forms as disparate as the folk tale, the phone conversation, and the basketball game in this fresh and funny collection. Plenty to choose from in terms of a more amusing or poignant feel, or a more essay-like or 'poetic' structure.

Tayi Tibble (Te Whānau ā Apanui, Ngāti Porou) 
2018 
Te Herenga Waka Press 

Themes: Identity, race relations, Māori mythology 

Debut collection of powerful poems. Explores growing up as Māori, with a lot about the interaction and a little conflict between cultures. Unapologetically raunchy at times. Tayi is available for author visits through Read NZ Te Pou Muramura.

Isla Huia (Te Āti Haunui a-Pāpārangi, Uenuku)
2024
Dead Bird Books

Themes: whakapapa, loss, home

Written in both reo Māori and English, these poems traverse ancestral places and the present. An award-winning debut collection grounded in a desire to honour Huia's people and whenua, and a mode of processing the loss of a friend (the eponymous Talia).

Tusiata Avia 
2004 
Te Herenga Waka Press 

Themes: Poetry, identity, illness, sexuality, relationships, mythology 

Nearly 20 years after being published, this poetry collection still speaks to my heart every time I read it. Wild Dogs Under my Skirt, which was originally performed on stage by Avia as a solo performance, was performed in 2019-2020 by six actors. Avia's poetry crosses genre and sits in the space where poetry, waiata, drama and spoken word collide. 

Edited by Witi Ihimaera (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Khungunu, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata,
Ngāti Porou & Whakatōhea) and Tina Makereti (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Rangatahi)
2017 
Random House New Zealand Vintage 

This anthology of Aotearoa and Pacific writing collects some of our most well-known and distinctive Indigenous voices. The collection also showcases a couple of artists so could be used to have quite interesting conversations about the role of different artistic mediums in public discourse. Some pieces are quite challenging reads, both in terms of academic difficulty but also in terms of emotional confrontation. 

Joy Holley
2023
THWUP

Themes: coming of age, desire, LGBTQIA+

Emily Perkins describes these stories as the 'cool girls' of fiction, and they may well captivate the cool girls of your class! You could steer toward the less or more explicit themes of desire as you prefer, and even use Holley as a gateway to Mansfield or Frame.

Paula Morris (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Manuhiri)
2023
AUP

A vibrant collection of contemporary Māori short stories across a range of styles and subjects and all the way from Jack Remiel Cottrell to Patricia Grace. The biographical introductions may prove a useful component for author study.

Harriet Allan
2023
Penguin

This anthology brings together 50 stories published over the past 50 years, almost providing an historical track record of changing styles, voices, and preoccupations. Such an assortment is provided that there's bound to be something to suit your class.

Edited by Paula Morris and Allison Wong 
2021 
Auckland University Press 

Themes: Diverse voices, Asian identity, belonging 

A comprehensive anthology of 75 local voices offering a wide range of different text types, voices and experiences which link Aotearoa to countries from all across Asia. An excellent way to help a diverse range of students to 'see themselves' in the English classroom. 

There is something for every academic level in this collection. I thought this book was so beautiful, inside and out. 

Witi Ihimaera (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Khungunu, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata,
Ngāti Porou & Whakatōhea)
2023
Penguin NZ

Themes: diversity, identity, belonging

Each piece of writing discusses issues and challenges that Māori face in our current society. As a teacher, there are many parts of this book which can be taught and offer ākonga the opportunity to learn about important perspectives. For example, you could pair Moana Maniapoto's interview with Angela Davis on racism with the international novel The Hate U Give. The possibilities are endless.

Edited by Chris Tse and Emma Barnes 
2021
Auckland University Press 

Themes: Diverse voices, LGBTQIA+, identity, belonging 

A collection of multiple different text types, all by queer New Zealanders. Many of the works deal with identity, and belonging, and will resonate with students who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as with those who don't. A good way to find authors to chase down a rabbit hole. 

Edited by Witi Ihimaera (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Khungunu, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata,
Ngāti Porou & Whakatōhea) & Whiti Hereaka (Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa)
2019 
Random House New Zealand Vintage 

Themes: Short stories, poetry, Māori mythology, identity 

This anthology collates texts inspired by pūrākau Māori. Some are more traditional retelling of the pūrākau, some are very, very far removed from the original story. The anthology is in 'chronological' order and covers a wide range of famous pūrākau. 

Could be stimulating for creative writing exercises as well as for use as assessment texts. Some accessible texts at a variety of academic levels.