Taniwha
  • Published: 30 August 2022
  • ISBN: 9780143779476
  • Imprint: Picture Puffin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $21.00

Taniwha

Formats & editions
Paperback
30 Aug 2022
Paperback
18 Feb 1987
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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.

Trailblazing Māori artist Robyn Kahukiwa's award-winning picture book about a boy who makes friends with a taniwha is now available in this bilingual Māori-English edition.

Kua whakahoa atu tētahi tama ki te taniwha kei tōna awa. Kāore ngā tāngata i te whakapono he taniwha.
Heoi anō, ko rāua tēnā ka hāereere ki te kohi i ētahi taonga o te ao tūroa.

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.

A stunning bilingual children's story that seamlessly incorporates Māori myth, culture and landscape, by one of Aotearoa's foremost artists.
  • Published: 30 August 2022
  • ISBN: 9780143779476
  • Imprint: Picture Puffin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $21.00
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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

Watercress Tuna & the Children of Champion Street
Te Kuia me te Pūngāwerewere/The Kuia and the Spider
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