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Debbie Tipuna
Photo Credit: Copyright (c) Debbie Tipuna

Debbie Tipuna

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Debbie Tipuna is a children’s author and illustrator, a children’s librarian and a cool Nana. She lives in the beautiful coastal city of Tauranga, New Zealand with her husband, approximately sixty-three seagulls and a couple of pukeko. Her home studio has inspiring views of the harbour and is a short walk from the beach and Opopoti (Maungatapu) Marae. She has won a number of awards for her art and in 2017 was the inaugural recipient of the Tautoko Maori Foundation’s Basilicata art residency in Italy. A mixed media artist, Debbie especially loves working with gouache paints to convey her vibrant representations of the flora, fauna and folk of Aotearoa.

Books by Debbie Tipuna

The Boys in the Waka Ama

Tahi, rua, toru, wha! Hoea to waka! Meet the team of boys who are training hard for the big competition in this exciting story about waka ama racing!

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The Girls in the Kapa Haka

Tahi, rua, toru, wha - join in with this readaloud celebration of kapa haka!

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