PMN Niue interview

Today I did a writing workshop with students at Southern Cross Campus in Mangere. Here’s what some of the students thought about our time together: “I enjoyed learning the skill of using the newspaper into making a whole interesting story.” “It was fun making our own stories and plays because ours was funny and relatable.”…

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…

Would you like some free books with that bread and milk? During the COVID lockdown schools and libraries were closed and many of our young people lost access to books. I reached out to some of the Auckland Local Boards and other organisations to sponsor book packs – home libraries – so our youth would…

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

Spent the morning at Flat Bush School with inspirational alumni Willie Maea, Samson Vaotuua, Greg Va’afusuaga, Jay Paniani and Dr Julienne Faletau as they returned to visit their old school. The Writers Group of children interviewed these tuakana for a book of inspiration that will be called Flat Bush Forever.

Another cool project I got to do this year was work with children of Weymouth Primary to share stories of place names in the Manurewa area which tell the stories of Te Ākitai Waiohua iwi. This mahi is important because the place names help keep alive the stories of people, events and the environment which…