Skip to content

Māori stories for children

Many of these are available in both Māori and English.

Te kete harakeke (The woven flax kete) Belcher, Angie
Rawiri's class is visiting the Whirinaki Forest and his grandmother has given him a scruffy old kete in which to collect treasures. But what treasures does she actually mean? By the end of his trip Rawiri has learnt that not all treasures can be carried in a kete.
CoverMatatuhiKahukiwa, Robyn
Mata was adopted into a Pakeha family and knows very little about her Māori heritage. But then one day Mata's class visits the museum. What she discovers there will change her life forever.
Nga raukura rima tekau ma rima (Fifty five feathers)Brown, Benjamin
Pukeko is worried about her friend Gecko being cold in the winter. She seeks advice from a wise old tree who tells her to make Gecko a cloak of fifty five feathers to keep him warm.
Tarakihana pakupaku (The little tractor) Cowley, Joy
Now that the family farm has been sold, a new owner is needed for this special little tractor which sits at a local car yard gathering dust. Each time the tractor is sold, the owner returns it because it keeps breaking down. Until at last the son of the farmer, now a grown man, discovers the tractor of his youth and buys it for his new farm. Illustrated by Gavin Bishop.
CoverMatariki Drewery, Melanie
A family celebrate the Māori New Year and talk about what Matariki means to different people.
A Nanny Mihi me te uenuku (Mihi and the rainbow) Drewery, Melanie
Nanny has a special plan for her grandchildren when they visit her in the holidays. Every day she asks them to collect objects of a different colour, and by the end of the week they have made a rainbow.
Te rapu taonga a Nanny Mihi (Nanny Mihi's treasure hunt) Drewery, Melanie
Nanny Mihi saves special treasures for her grandchildren and when they visit her in the school holidays she organises a treasure hunt.
He tamaiti nō Aotearoa (Child of Aotearoa) Drewery, Melanie
A child looks back through the ages to the river, mountain and waka of their spiritual home.
Te taonga whakamiharo mo te huritau o Nanny Mihi (Nanny Mihi's birthday surprise) Drewery, Melanie
It's Nanny Mihi's birthday and her grandchildren have arrived with a car full of presents. But one of the presents has a mind of its own and ends up giving Nanny Mihi more than she bargained for.
Oku tae Māori (My Māori colours) Duncan, Tracy
Introduces colours with illustrations of plants, birds and animals. Also Oku auaha Māori (My Māori shapes)
Tekiteora, kei heao hu (Oh hogwash, Sweet Pea) Gabel, Ngareta
Sweet Pea is always losing her shoes. On Monday a family of ants carries her shoes outside and uses them as a canoe. On Tuesday a bird borrows them because his feet are cold. What happens on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday?
He korero hi ika (A fishing story) McMillan, Dawn
Jasie has waited weeks to go fishing with his koro. Now the day has finally arrived and the fish are biting. Koro has taught Jasie well and he knows what to do, even when faced with a difficult challenge.
CoverTe waka (The waka) Prior, Jean
A New Zealand retelling of the Noah's Ark story.
Te Pouaka Karetao (The puppet box) Wairama, Moira Therese
When Rua begins kindergarten he is very shy, so the teacher introduces him to a kiwi puppet. Kiwis are also shy, she says, and encourages him to play with the puppet. The next day brings a different puppet, the following day another, and each one gives Rua the courage to participate in the other children's activities. Finally, at the end of the week a new girl starts - and she is very shy. Rua takes her to the puppet box…