Taniwha
  • Published: 18 February 1987
  • ISBN: 9780140505986
  • Imprint: Picture Puffin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $21.00

Taniwha

Formats & editions
Paperback
30 Aug 2022
Paperback
18 Feb 1987
Buy from…
The Nile Mighty Ape BookHub Whitcoulls The Warehouse Paper Plus Fishpond
Find local retailers

A Māori-English edition of the classic, award-winning story about a boy who makes friends with a taniwha, by one of Aotearoa's foremost artists.

A little boy has made friends with the taniwha in his river, but no-one believes him. The taniwha takes the boy on a journey through time and myth where he meets some amazing characters, gathering the earth's treasures as he goes.
  • Published: 18 February 1987
  • ISBN: 9780140505986
  • Imprint: Picture Puffin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $21.00
Categories:
Share…

About the author

Robyn Kahukiwa

Robyn Kahukiwa (Ngāti Porou) is a highly regarded New Zealand contemporary artist and award-winning author and illustrator of children's books.
Born in Sydney, Australia, she trained as a commercial artist and came to New Zealand at the age of 19, where she came to be known for her work drawing on Māori symbolism and mythological figures as well as for her staunch support of Māori women's rights. She has written and illustrated 12 books of her own, and illustrated a number of stories for other New Zealand authors, most notably Patricia Grace. In 2011 Kahukiwa was awarded Te Tohu Toi Kē a Te Waka Toi/Making a Difference Award for her contribution to Māori arts.

Also by Robyn Kahukiwa

Te Kuia me te Pūngāwerewere/The Kuia and the Spider
Watercress Tuna & the Children of Champion Street
Tuna Wātakirihi Me Ngā Tamariki O Te Tiriti O Toa, Te/Watercress Tuna and the Children of Champion Street
Taniwha i Warewaretia, Te/The Forgotten Taniwha
See all

Praise for Taniwha

Whaea Robyn Kahukiwa’s classic pukapuka, Taniwha, [is] just in time for te wiki o te reo Māori. Although the language may appear simple, the ideas run deep and are exemplary of Māori ways of being, juxtaposed against the perception of tikanga by non-Māori. E oma, don’t walk to your nearest bookshop to grab a copy of this beautiful, nostalgic pukapuka!

Nicole Hawkins, The Spinoff

Give the gift of this gorgeous classic from one of our most extraordinary artists. This is a new bilingual edition of a beloved favourite. We’re excited for all the kids yet to discover this story and Kahukiwa’s brilliance.

The great, late Christmas book guide for kids, The Spinoff

Awards & recognition

New Zealand Children's Picture Book of the Year Award

Winner  •  1987  •  New Zealand Government Awards