We are proud to announce that the 2026 First Voice is now available!
There were 58 Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School (PNINS) students who participated in this project celebrating their language backgrounds. Each student produced work in their mother tongue at the First Voice workshop held in May. There they met with community mentors who helped proofread and draft the work with them. The guest speaker on the day was Natsiso Sinamai who thoughtfully shared her experiences of being bilingual and how this is a ‘superpower’.
Thank you to everyone who helped tautoko the students and congratulations to PNINS student Seoa Hong who designed the winning cover.
You can find the physical copy of the book here or as an ebook on Libby.
Manawatū Heritage also holds copies of all the First Voice books created through the years, that you can read online.
Congratulations to all the students involved in the First Voice – you’ve done an excellent job!
This project has been a collaboration between Palmerston North Intermediate Normal, Manawatū Multicultural Council and Palmerston North City Library.
