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  • Published: 4 June 2024
  • ISBN: 9781776957262
  • Imprint: Picture Puffin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $21.00

Nanny Rina's Amazing Nets



A heartwarming story about aroha, whānau, passing down traditional knowledge and welcoming in the new year – an English translation of the original Ngā Kupenga a Nanny Rina

Nanny Rina is an amazing weaver – she can make all kinds of nets!

When Haeata te Kapua asks what special creation Nanny will weave to welcome in the new year, Nanny shows her granddaughter how the Matariki stars guide her to the right net to make.

This delightful story for tamariki includes step-by-step instructions to weave a net. It is written by the award-winning Māori-Pasifika storyteller Qiane Matata-Sipu, and illustrated by the acclaimed Māori artist Isobel Joy Te Aho-White.

Translated into English from the original story written in te reo Māori, Ngā Kupenga a Nanny Rina (also available)

  • Published: 4 June 2024
  • ISBN: 9781776957262
  • Imprint: Picture Puffin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $21.00

About the authors

Qiane Matata-Sipu

Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua ki Te Ahiwaru me Te Ākitai, Waikato, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao, Cook Islands) is an esteemed Māori-Pasifika creative, storyteller, and award-winning journalist and photographer. She is a social activist and cultural commentator who has a 14-year career contributing to leading media publications and books across Aotearoa and the Pacific. Qiane is a regular guest speaker at women’s arts, business and leadership events. She is the founder and director of NUKU and QIANE+co, and is the founding member and co-leader of Protect Ihumātao. In 2021 Qiane was awarded the Women of Influence Arts and Culture Award, and in 2023 became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to the arts. Her first book NUKU: Stories of 100 Indigenous Women was shortlisted in the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for Illustrated Non-Fiction

Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

Isobel Te Aho-White (Ngati Kahungunu, Ngai Tahu) is an award-winning Illustrator based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Her book Santa’s Worst Christmas (2019) with Huia publishers was nominated for the NCYA Book Awards across five categories and her book Whiti: Colossal Squid of the Deep (2020) written by Victoria Cleal and published by Te Papa Press won a Whitley award for best children’s book. She is the illustrator of Witi Ihimaera's novels about Te Kōkōrangi, the Astromancer (Puffin, 2022 and 2024), a co-illustrator of The Maori Picture Dictionary/Te Papakupu Whakaahua by Margaret Sinclair and Ross Calman (Puffin, 2022), and her illustrations have enhanced well over 30 children's books to date.

Praise for Nanny Rina's Amazing Nets

[A] wonderful addition to the canon of Matariki books to share with children, one that will bear repeated readings. There are visual and written instructions in the back on how to make a small net, making this a truly shareable, interactive tale.

Louise Ward, Hawke's Bay Today

[A]n enriching book packed with mātauranga Māori. Its thoughtful storytelling and detailed illustrations make it a joy to read and learn from.

Ariana Stewart, The Sapling

[A]n absolutely beautiful picture book

Alice Hampson, Capsule

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Nanny Rina's Amazing Nets Colouring Sheet

Colour in this sheet from a heartwarming story about aroha, whānau, passing down traditional knowledge and welcoming in the new year