Celebrate Maori Language week with the Library

Celebrate Māori Language Week (4-10 July) with us. Find out about our recommended Māori books and resources; services and collections at Auckland Libraries. Let our specialist staff assist you with any Māori family and/or local history research. Here are just some of the things that you can now find and have access to as part of Auckland Libraries.

Read our popular topic about the evolution of te reo Māori by Pou Arahi Taonga Heritage Māori Librarian, Rob Eruera.
See top books and resources that relate to the Māori language.

Read the July issue of our Māori Services eNewsletter, which celebrates Māori Language Week with a selection of titles to get you started learning te reo Māori.

DID YOU KNOW that we have a special Māori services section. Our dedicated Māori staff can provide you with specialist knowledge and advice. They can:

• assist in whakapapa research or history for whānau, hapū and iwi


• locate information on kaupapa Māori


• support the community through our Māori services and events


• enhance access to Māori collections and information


• offer one-on-one or group whakapapa sessions and training on Māori databases, resources and our website


• arrange for Māori speaking staff to travel to your marae or community centre.

Many of the 55 branches of Auckland Libraries hold Maori resources and taonga in special collections. Items include an unsigned copy of the Treaty of Waitangi, the original Sir George Grey Special Collections New Zealand Māori manuscripts and letters, including facsimile copies, tribal and oral histories and much much more.

For full information and details of our Maori Services and Collection check out the Maori Langauge Week page on our website.

Are you a master of rhyme?

Last week I introduced you to a fantastic resource for poetry through our digital library. This week we want to hear about your poetry.

Submit your poem to the Auckland Libraries poetry competition by 13 July and be in to win prizes! The prize-giving ceremony will be held at Mt Albert Library on National Poetry Day, Friday 22 July. Established in 1998, National Poetry Day has grown to become one of the most anticipated events on the calendar and once again, our poetry competition is back. If you enjoy reading, writing, performing, or simply listening to poetry, wait no further – submit your poem(s) now.

There are two ways to enter the competition:
(a) get an entry form from your local library

(b) download a pdf entry form now

There are three age categories to choose from:
5 to 12 years
13 to 17 years
Over 18 years

Submit your entry/entries at a local library no later than 5pm, Wednesday 13 July.
Poems will not be returned, so make sure you keep a copy!
For full details of entry conditions go to our competition page

A Week of it

Didn't there used to be a TV show of that name?

I digress. This week is Maori Language Week, where we celebrate one of the official languages of New Zealand. But that's not all. As well as practicing our te Reo this week, we should also be supporting and celebrating:

• The Neurological Foundation of New Zealand Annual Appeal Week. Funding for brain research is needed more than ever to improve the outcomes for the growing number of New Zealanders being diagnosed with neurological disorders from Parkinsons and Alzheimers to stroke, migraine and epilepsy (and traumatic brain injuries).


• Sir Peter Blake Trust Leadership Week. Leadership Week is an annual event that highlights the strategic relevance and value that great leadership provides for New Zealand and showcases the work being done to develop our nation’s leadership capability. Auckland Libraries are running an online competition for Leadership week - check out the competition page.


• Independence Day. A big shout out to our American residents who will have been getting all patriotic yesterday (NZ time) and today (American time) for their 4th of July celebrations. The link takes you through to an interesting website I found. Happy birthday (or Hari Huritau) U.S.A.

In addition I can report that today is Work-a-holics Day (and Carribean Day), Thursday is both Chocolate Day and Macaroni Day and Friday is Video Game Day. So sounds like there is something for everyone.

Ka kite ano

Whakanuia Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

We are celebrate Maori Language Week this week. It runs from the 4th to the 10th of July and the theme this year is Manaakitanga.


““Manaakitanga” is a very important tenet of Māori custom and identity, that has, I believe, positively influenced notions of good old ‘Kiwi’ hospitality. At its core manaakitanga is about how we make people feel welcome when they are in our company, and how we give regard to and care for others when hosting visitors”, says Chief Executive of the Maori Language Commission, Glenis Philip-Barbara.


The key message is about promoting Māori language use in communities and homes. As well as a wealth of resources and help for doing this on the World Wide Web and on Television through the Maori and Te Reo channels, the library can help out with bilingual books, language resources for beginners through to more advanced speakers. Here are a few things to help.


Korero Maori is the Maori Language Commission website which can be accessed all year round but is especially good at this time of year when preserving and promoting Te Reo is highlighted.


Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori, Maori Language Week is on Facebook (as are most things these days). Find out what organisations are doing around New Zealand, who is supporting the language and practice your te reo.


100 Maori words every New Zealander should know according to the website NZ History online.

Maori Language Conversation and Phrase books can be found on our non-fiction shelves under Call Number (found on the spine) 499.4. There are also tapes and CD's so you can listen to get the pronunciation correct.

Maori Language as a subject search provides the dictionaries and phrase books, but also commentaries about Te Reo, it's history, development and place in modern society.

Maori Language Materials From picture books to adult titles, bilingual to those books in Te Reo only, if you want to practice your reading in one of the official langauges of New Zealand, the library can help you here too.

That's just for starters. Keep an eye on the Blog this week as I let you know how else the Library can help with your Te Reo.

Top 5 for Friday - Picture books with a message

When I attended a children's and teens librarians hui earlier this year, we had the pleasure (and hilarity) of a presentation by Kiwi author Kyle Mewburn. He gave a fantastic talk (and display) based on a book review he had read in an Australian newspaper which contained the words "spinach ice cream". The idea was that while we all (or at least most of us) enjoy ice-cream, if you combine it with spinach you get somewhat less palatable (and in his case extraordinarily messy when his blender blew up). If you apply this analogy to the number of picture books for children that aim to teach or provide a message, you sometimes find that the same thing happens. Both the message and the enjoyment of the reading experience are lost.

I thought of this when I looked my picture book shelves this week and read through some of the new books that have come in. Here are five new books which all fall into the above category and my purely subjective of if they work or not.

1. Stand Tall like a mountain (Dr Shara Ray, illustrator Pamela Drysdale). "The book is presented by a feisty little storyteller 'Mouse', who presents a toolbox of practical strategies to teach our children how to stand tall through 'tricky, thick and thin'. The book offers a lively message of hope, helping to foster each child's personal sense of pride and self accomplishment." Okay I get the concept here and I am the first one who will pick up a warm fuzzies type book to find a pithy quote for self esteem. But as the mouse doesn't actually look all that feisty to me, I lost interest in this as a children's picture book quite quickly. Like many of it's ilk, it will have it's place in a dedicated lesson on values and self-esteem, but it doesn't work as a general picture book for me. Another new picture book that is very similar is God Is (Mark Macleod, illustrator Kirrily Schell) which examines the question "Where is God".


2. Todd's TV (James Proimos). "When Todd's parents are too busy to take care of him, his television steps in to handle the parenting." The School Library Journal provided a glowing review of this book "With broad strokes and witty slapdashery, Proimos's light cartoon art and plotline carry some weighty themes ... the author jumps into a hilariously exaggerated focal plot that manages to ease the tension and intensify the message ... funny-scary cautionary tale. It's a hoot.-Susan Weitz" although the Booklist review notes "This cautionary picture book, though entertaining and meaningful on a child's level, might be more directed at parents." This picture book almost works. I think a child would it up and enjoy the humour although they may find the ending unsatisfactory.


3. Stolen Girl (Trina Saffioti, illustrator Norma MacDonald). "Stolen Girl is a fictionalised account of the now universally known story of the Stolen Generation and tells of an Aboriginal girl taken from her family and sent to a childrens home. Each night she sings, and dreams of her mother and the life they once shared of sitting on the verandah of their corrugated-iron home, cooking damper and hunting goanna. But each morning she is woken by the bell to the harsh reality of the childrens home, until finally one day she puts into action her carefully crafted plan unlocking the door and taking her first step back toward home." Because this is aimed at a slightly older audience, it works better for me. This title belongs to the group of books which tell stories of part of the world's history, events that we hope will never happen again, which can be slightly easier to create than the "message" book. I enjoyed this. The illustrations and text work well together. Not everything is spelled out leaving something to the reader's imagination. This makes it more sophisticated and excellent for classroom discussions. A similar book is Azad's Camel (Erika Pal) about an orphan boy who is forced to be a part of the dangerous sport of camel riding.


4. Please is a Good word to say (Barbara Joosse, illustrator Jennifer Plecas). Harriet gives examples of polite words and expressions to use in various social situations to make them more pleasant. I can understand why there are no copies of this on the bookshelves of Auckland Libraries. So at least on one level (the parents are keen to pick it up) it works. However as a picture book that kids want to pick up to read, I doubt it. However, there is humour in it, the illustrations are cute (aimed at girls) and the dialogue is quite realistic.


5. Of Thee I Sing: A letter to my daughters (Barack Obama, illustrator Loren Long). "In this tender, beautiful letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation. From the artistry of Georgia O'Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson, to the patriotism of George Washington, President Obama sees the traits of these heroes within his own children, and within all of America's children" Famous people thinking they can write picture books is the subject for a whole other discussion, so I was more than a little reluctant to pick up this book. It's true that there is an American flavour, especially in the conclusion. It's also true that it is a motivational speech in book form, perhaps even with a political motive. But it is also a fantastic story to read to your children to tell them how much you love them, introduce heroes and let them know they can dream big. Supported by evocative illustrations, for me this was a picture book that worked for both adults and children.

All of which leaves me to ponder. Are picture books written for children or for adults? Have a great weekend everyone.