NZ Intermediate School Librarians discussion

Three new narrative non-fiction New Zealand books from Tauranga publisher Mauao Publishing that could be useful in your schools. From the author bio (with reviews):

The following three years were spent researching 'The Treaty of Waitangi in Tauranga: Te Tiriti o Waitangi ki Tauranga Moana' (Mauao Publishing, 2018) which was illustrated by Whare Joseph Thompson, translated into Te Reo Māori by Tamati Waaka, and released on Waitangi Day 2018. During the process, Debbie was contacted by Treaty researcher and writer Claudia Orange, with the result that she shared her research for the ‘He Tohu’ exhibition at the Natonal Library of New Zealand. Matariki Williams of The Sapling wrote, ‘Like the other two books, McCauley’s is richly illustrated with a mixture of photographs, maps and taonga related to the people written about. At the back of the book, the signatories at Tauranga are listed and identified by the tohu they left on the parchment. Each signatory has had a biography written about them and I can’t help but think what a huge taonga this is for their descendants. The Treaty of Waitangi in Tauranga has included educational resources for teachers to use with their students to further extrapolate the kōrero therein’ (27 February 2018).

'Ko Mauao te Maunga: Legend of Mauao' (Mauao Publishing, 2018) was illustrated by Debbie Tipuna, translated into Te Reo Māori by Tamati Waaka, and released during Tauranga’s Matariki festival. Debbie wrote the book with the approval and support of kaumatua. It retells the traditional Legend of Mauao. Simie Simpson wrote, ‘If you get a copy of this book, you’ll need to hold onto it tightly. The beautiful illustration and production will have people trying to wrestle it off you in a heartbeat. This, in fact, happened to me—I took it out in public and I won’t be making the same mistake twice. People are drawn to it; it has a book lovers sensibility: a matt cover, lovely thick paper and the illustrations are stunning... Like the tardis, this book is much more than it seems. It is more than a picture book —at the back is a glossary, facts about Mauao, a detailed timeline, place names, karakia, whakatauki, maps and activities. This book is the perfect classroom resource—it is informative and well thought out. However, to label it as such does undercook it slightly—this retelling is captivating and evocative’ (Magpies Magazine, September 2018, Vol. 33, No. 4).

While on the Suffrage 125 Tauranga organising committee, Debbie was inspired to research and write the story of her suffragist ancestor and the result was 'Eliza and the White Camellia: A Story of Suffrage in New Zealand' (Mauao Publishing, 2018), illustrated by Helen Casey and translated into Te Reo Māori by Tamati Waaka. Eliza Wallis (nee Hart) was a first-wave feminist who actively sought the Vote for Women. The book was released on 28 November 2018, 125 years after New Zealand women went to the polls for the first time. Chris Wright wrote, ‘This story of Eliza is an introduction for young readers into the whole topic of suffrage, women's suffrage in particular... This book is itself a celebration, showing younger generations some of the struggles people, especially women, went through to win this right... Author Debbie McCauley is to be commended for her extensive research into the life and times of Eliza. With its extensive Glossary and Index, this is a reference text while also being the interesting story of a New Zealand woman activist, one of many reaching forward to the present day’ (Bookrapt via Goodreads).