Te Wehenga

Winner of the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and Elsie Locke Non-Fiction Awards

Winner Best Children's Book, PANZ Book Design Awards 2023

Te Wehenga is the separation of Ranginui, sky-father, and Papatūānuku, earth-mother. Award-winning illustrator Mat Tait has written and illustrated this stunning retelling of the Māori creation story for a new generation.

Te reo Māori and English are woven together in a seamless bilingual approach to the text, with the visceral illustrations powerfully underlining the mana of the story.

Ko te Wehenga te kōrero mō Ranginui te matua rāua ko Papatūānuku te whaea. Ko Mat Tait tētahi ringatoi kua whakawhiwhia ki ngā tohu, ā, nāna ngā kupu, nāna tonu ngā whakaahua o te pukapuka ātaahua nei mō te orokotīmatanga o te ao, hei pānui mā te reanga hou.

Kua whiriwhiria te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā, e māmā ai te whai haere i ngā kupu, ā, ka whakatinanahia te mana o te kōrero e ngā whakaahua e kaha hāpai ana i ngā kupu.

'Tait's writing is poetic and full of wairua. He threads heart and feeling through the fabric of the book. These illustrations are like nothing I've seen before. They are simply stunning - moody, dark and dripping with meaning. Te Wehenga is a masterpiece that is so much more than just a book. It belongs on every bookshelf.' - Rebekah Fraser, NZ Book Lovers

'In Te Wehenga, the art and the words are all Mat's, and the end result is an absolute treasure.' - Briar Lawry, The Sapling

'Te Wehenga The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku is a bold and beautiful thing. It is all so very... finely furious, so vigorously shown, it seems as sure a celebration of the body and also therefore of humanity itself. It is a triumph, a taonga, a treasure.' - S J Mannion, takahē magazine

'This is a book you must read and share and celebrate. The artwork is stunning, the interplay of languages is necessary, the gift of this book in the world immeasurable.' - Paula Green, Poetry Box