Māori publishing house, Huia Publishers has taken top honours at the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults with its book “Ngā Kī”.
The book, authored by Sasha Cotter and translated by Kawata Teepa, took out the Māori Language category.
A book that explores the special relationship between a father and his daughter.
Delving into her own memories as a child, author Sasha Cotter says it has special significance.
Cotter says, “When I was a little girl, my father worked at the Tasman Mill. Every night I would hear him come home and would run to him and he would tell me stories in bed.”
Last night, the book took out the Māori Language Award for this year. Brian Morris of Huia Publishers says the translator, Kawata Teepa, had focused on letting the language flow in the book.
Morris says, “It's easy on the ears, and rolls off the tongue. Some of the words he came up with himself.”
Morris has been in the publishing industry for a long time now and he has a challenge to Māori writers out there.
“We need to research topics that are relevant today, that tell a story about today's world, and our country at this time,” says Morris.
He hopes to see more books like this making their way into classrooms around the country.