Tamatea Toa

To celebrate Olympics year I asked Kiwi Olympians and Paralympians to write letters to young people sharing what they learned about “success” from their experiences in Tokyo. Then I got each letter illustrated by a different Kiwi children’s book illustrator and put them together in this new work, Standing In My Own Shoes. There’s letters…

I always love sharing stories with young people about how reading can literally save and change your life. Today I was at Wesley College – blessed and inspired by these talented young people.

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.”

In term 3 I worked with children and families from the wonderful Auckland Tuvalu Community Trust to make a bilingual book celebrating Tuvalu people, history and culture. We launched the book during Tuvalu Language Week. It’s so cool that children of Tuvaluan heritage can see themselves represented in literature. It was also cool to do…

‘No matter what challenges we face, whether its natural disasters, economic struggles, or even personal hardships, Filipinois always find a way to rise above and support each other.’ (Akisha) Last project of the year working with Filipino young people at Tangaroa College. What a great blessing learning about Filipino culture from these inspirational youth and…