By Zoe Timbrell - Kaiwhakahaere at OMGTech!
Anyone who knows me, knows I plan on spending the entire holiday curled up with a pile of great pukapuka. Fair to say I bought a small library during the lockdown and can't wait to read them all. Here are a few of my favourites I think everyone should add to their summer reading list too.
Polynesian Panthers Pacific Protest And Affirmative Action In Aotearoa New Zealand 1971-1981
Melani Anae, Leilani Tamu, Lautofa Iuli
This year I had the privilege of attending the Dawn Raids Apology; an event acknowledging and formally apologizing for the racism and discrimination our Pacific Peoples faced in the 1970s and 1980s in Aotearoa NZ. These actions formed the basis of the systemic discrimination in our education system that still exists today. This is a critical part of our history that every educator should know about and this book is a great place to start.
Imagining Decolonisation
Rebecca Kiddle, Bianca Elkington, Moana Jackson et al.
Practising Decolonisation is critical for the future of our education sector; but for many, understanding what it means and where to start on your own decolonisation journey can be overwhelming. This little gem is an incredible book to start you on your path. Written in short articles by many amazing authors I highly recommend this for everyone.
Also as a side note, BWB Texts are incredible and accessible texts and there are so many great ones I'd say buy a bundle!
Homo Deus - A Brief History of Tomorrow
So this book came out a few years ago. I LOVED Homo Sapiens, his previous book (I personally think this should be a social studies text in every class) so I grabbed this as soon as I could. This book explores the near future and what things are shaping the future of humanity. Yuri has a super accessible writing style. This book will get your brain sparking about what future it is that we want, and how science, technology, philosophy, economics and more can be used to create it.
Coloring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools
Dr Anne Milnes work is transformative. She is one of my education heroes and every single teacher in Aotearoa NZ should read this book. Then take her courses. I cannot recommend them highly enough. This book examines the struggle against racial and cultural inequity in educational systems and how one school and its community have changed that, and how you can too.
Art Matters
Neil Gaiman
I picked up this book in a small bookshop on the Island of Santorini. I had spent the trip teaching myself to draw and this book spoke to me (well, showed me anyway as it’s mostly pictures). I was inspired by the idea that all of us are artists but at some point, the ART is taken from us (Ken Robinson has a lot to say on this). We feel we aren't good at it. But ART MATTERS! And being creative is important for the soul. This creative call to arms will reconnect you with the Artist that lives inside.
The Pōrangi Boy
Winner of the Young Adult Fiction Award, New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adult, in 2021. This book was written by Shilo Kino for “kids like me who struggle to see themselves in stories.” Her debut novel is incredible. Telling stories that haven't been told but need to be; creating fiction for rangatahi Māori that they can identify with. Hopefully, we see this as a text in schools across the country in 2022. So give it a read and get a classroom set for your local school.
Her Say - Survivors of Domestic Abuse Tell Their Own Stories
TW - Intimate partner violence
This book is the most incredible book I bought this year, and you should get it too. It is powerful, moving, raw and real. Told in their own words, these are the stories of New Zealand women who have lived in - and escaped - abusive relationships. It is full of hope and empowerment as these wāhine toa rewrite the narrative and their own outcomes. Bonus - all royalties from sales go to The Aunties to support their work.
Ngā Kete Mātauranga
Jacinta Ruru & Linda Waimarie Nikora (eds)
This book is deeply personal, and each of the 24 authors offers us a massive gift in sharing their own stories. Through their perspectives, we can understand how Te Ao Māori can be interwoven into research. Understanding and valuing Mātauranga and Tuku Iho is critical to our commitment as Tangata Tiriti. For anyone undertaking research in or about Aotearoa, this is a must-read.
Kei te Kīhini o te Pō
I am LOVING the release of all my childhood favourite books into Māori. Particularly the Maurice Sendak ones, which I can spend hours looking at. Kei Reira Ngā Weriweri has also been released and is on my Christmas present list. These are a great way to support your Reo journey with familiar stories that you can read aloud and already know the exciting parts and when the monster voices come in. Or, in this case, ease your littlies into whakamoe and moehewa.
First Readers in Māori
Ok, so this is more like ten books, but hear me out! This little collection is right about where my current Te Reo Māori reading level is, and they are designed for this. I read them to my nieces and nephews, and it's fantastic, I get to practice, and they get rawe stories told in Te Reo Māori. I also started on my Samoan language journey, and I got these in Samoan. This is great as they are the same stories, so it's helping my understanding. If I had to pick one, I'd say start with Kia Ora Hana Kōkō, and your Kirihimete list will write itself.