What’s Up

Thank you to staff, students and families of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu students for a cool time with you doing writing workshops in Kirikiriroa Hamilton and Tauranga Moana.

I’ve been doing a project with these Writing Warriors from Dawson Primary School in Ōtara. We’re making a pukapuka together in which they star as superheroes. These tamariki are creative, clever, imaginative, inspiring!

A pic from our photoshoot at Wiri Central School today. These awesome young people have written a pukapuka about their pride in being Māori. We’re launching their pukapuka during Matariki later this term. 15 new published authors unleashed into the world. Thank you to Manurewa Local Board for supporting this project.

Tamatea Intermediate students are Writing Warriors! Look how focused they are.

22 newly published authors showing off their books at Waimārama School, Hawke’s Bay.

They’re known for their rugby but young men at Hastings Boys’ High School are readers too. It was inspiring sharing with them today as part of a Read NZ Writers in Schools visit.

https://gazette.education.govt.nz/articles/igniting-a-passion-for-writing-through-creative-art/

Today we launched a new book called Hood Heroes, written and illustrated by children at Flat Bush School, Ōtara. It’s such a beautiful feeling when you see the pride of the children knowing they’re achieving the dreams their families have for them. You can take a look inside the book and buy a copy here…

This is my favourite part of writing projects with kids: celebrating with the children and their families. This evening we launched The Streets: a celebration of Mt Wellington written by children of Bailey Road School.

“Thank you to former MC student & Author Extraordinare David Riley for the gift of boxes of new books to families in South Auckland so they can start, or add to their own kāinga pukapuka – home libraries. The books are culturally specific e.g. a box of Maori books for a Maori family, Samoan books…

I’m making a new book about Black Ferns Sevens try-scoring machine Michaela Blyde. It’s called Strike Hard! The illustrator is Sarah Trolle and Sarah is a teacher too! The korero that goes with this particular picture is that the Black Ferns Sevens team see themselves as a waka, that leaves mana in its wake. “The…

Havelock North Intermediate. My question to the kids: what did you learn from my talk today? Answers: “We can publish books at our age.” “If my work gets rejected – publish it myself.” “My voice is powerful!” “A book is a dream that you hold in your hands.”

St Matthew’s School, Hastings. So cool to share with kids about inspirational people like Israel Adesanya inside an inspirational venue like a church!

Some Kiwi children’s writers – Abel Junior Tutagalevao, Bill Nagelkerke, Brianne Te Paa, and me – on our way to encourage and be inspired by kids at Poukawa School, Hawke’s Bay … with our driver Vicki Cunningham in front

Awesome time at Kedgley Intermediate School today celebrating A Piece of Myself – a book written by these talented young people. The kaupapa of our pukapuka is to praise our beloved home South Auckland.

Today we had a cool celebration of 4 bilingual children’s books I worked on with young people of Māori, Samoan, Chinese and Hindi heritage. The kaupapa of the books is how to survive natural disasters. The theme of the series is: You Ready? You can get copies from Auckland Emergency Management.

Can’t wait to share this new pukapuka with you e te whānau. A celebration of the streets of Mt Wellington written and narrated by talented young writers from Bailey Road School.

Much alofa to all those parents who make the tough choice to move their families to places so different to where they’ve come from, just so their children can have amazing futures. This is Sola who attends Nelson Girls College. We worked on a book together in Auckland with other Tuvaluan young people. Now she’s…

This is Taitama on the right. He’s a student at Nayland Primary School and he’s an author. He told me he’s inspired by my journey, to publish his art and writing too! His book is about two moa that fall in love. “Inspire” means breathe life into and Taitama really inspired me today. Thank you…

Wow man! Never would I have thought that a book I wrote would be nominated for a NZ Children’s Books award. But it happened with Freestyle: the Israel Adesanya Story that Ant Sang and I made. What an honour to attend the awards event, to hang out with awesome Kiwi writers and illustrators and be…

Pretty amazed that Freestyle: the Israel Adesanya Story has made the shortlist of the 2023 NZ Children’s Book Awards in the non-fiction category. Never did I think I could reach this level but I’m grateful to have one of my books recognised this way. Not for the ego but because it means more people can…

I’m working with children from Manurewa West School on a bilingual (Māori and English) book about Matariki. As part of the project we went out to Kurawaka Animation Studio in West Auckland and the children got to learn digital illustration skills from Stan, Dean, Wailer and Jayden. It’s an awesome program they’ve got going teaching…

“I cant believe that I’m now an author.” “My favourite part was writing my own thoughts about the topic.” “I’m so excited that my piece of writing can go worldwide.” Some of the thoughts of children at Kauri Flats School who I worked with to publish a book called Awakeri. We launched the book at…

When positive role models inspire (breathe life into) the next generation it’s always powerful. Janine Williams and her husband Charles are amazing – you can see their murals and sculpture all over NZ and in NY, France, China and the Pacific too. Janine is Ōtara-raised and shared wisdom with young writers at her old school,…

I’ve seen a few Book Week parades, where children dress as book characters, but I haven’t seen any do it the way Flat Bush Primary School does it. Dress as people you admire and are inspired by – they could be book characters, might be someone in your own whānau. Parade together as a whole…