It’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, and we dived into the library catalogue to find some ka pai suggestions to help you immerse yourself in te ao Māori – this week and beyond. Even if you can’t yet speak te Reo, Palmerston North City Library has resources to support your use of te Reo Māori.
Ngā pukapuka o te Ao Māori (Books of Te Ao Māori)
Witi Ihimaera : his best stories
A definitive collection by one of New Zealand’s best loved Māori authors, Witi Ihimaera. Rua tekau mā whā stories, spanning more than toru tekau mā rima years.
Wars without end / Ngā pakanga whenua o mua New Zealand’s land wars: a Māori perspective by Danny Keenan.
From the earliest days of European settlement in New Zealand, Māori have struggled to hold on to their land. Tensions began early, arising from disputed land sales. When open conflict between Māori and Imperial forces broke out in the 1840s and 1860s, the struggles only intensified. For both sides, land was at the heart of the conflict, one that casts a long shadow over race relations in modern-day New Zealand. ‘Wars without end’ is the first book to approach this subject from a Māori point of view.
Māori oral tradition is the rich, poetic record of the past handed down by voice over generations through whakapapa, whakataukī, kōrero and waiata. Jane McRae reveals some of this in Māori Oral Tradition: He Kōrero nō te Ao Tawhito.
FFor thousands of years, Māori tohunga passed closely guarded knowledge to new generations of tohunga, using only an orally coded system. Rua rau years ago, they started recording that knowledge into secret manuscripts. These secret manuscripts are revealed here.
These secret manuscripts are revealed in Mariko B. Ryan’s Infinite threads: 100 indigenous insights from old Māori manuscripts.
Discover traditional Māori philosophy through 52 whakataukī – simple, powerful life lessons, one for every week. With Aroha: Māori Wisdom for a Contented Life Lived in Harmony With Our Planet, by Hinemoa Elder.
Learning te Reo
We have resources suitable for all ages, to support you on your te Reo learning journey. We recommend learning in person for the best experience and introduction, and books can help support that.
Scotty Morrison’s Māori Made Easy Workbooks/Kete are for everyday learners of the Māori language. The 8 workbooks, each one building on the former. We have plenty of copies available in both the City and Community libraries, or online through BorrowBox. You just need to log in with BorrowBox using your library card number and pin, and you’re away!
A Māori word a day : 365 words to kickstart your reo by Hēmi Kelly is a simple, effective and fun Maori dictionary for all New Zealanders.
It offers an easy, instant and motivating entry point into the Maori language. We have four physical editions and availability on Borrowbox and as an Adobe e-pub. Find them in the library.
First thousand words in Māori is a great way for anyone of any age to build their vocabulary. If you’re a very visual learner, you’ll love the colourful graphics featured in this fun dictionary.
For more book suggestions, check out our suggestions for tamariki/ children and rangatahi/ youth. Ka kite anō!
