Storytelling is powerful

Truly honoured to share thoughts with teachers at the Manaiakalani Pasifika Conference in Glen Innes. The theme was empowering students’ voices, an awesome theme. Our young people and their families have so much to contribute. I related it to an audience at a theatre show vs an audience at a WWE show. Most theatre audiences…

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.

What a blessing to work with these beautiful Tongan children making a book about how proud they are to be Tongan. The book is bilingual (Tongan and English). The stories they’ve written demonstrate their immense pride in being Tongan. You’ll read about the importance of family and lotu, their favourite Tongan foods and clothing, their…

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…

I’ve been working with tamariki at Henderson North School on a book celebrating a famous pūrākau story from Te Kawerau ā Maki. Today we launched the pukapuka as part of the school’s Matariki celebrations. Ngā mihi Te Kawerau ā Maki for trusting us with your taonga story, and Donna Nee Tumuaki of Henderson North Kura…

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.