My Family Tree, My Whānau and Me

My family tree grows over the sand.

Its droopy tendrils tickle my hands.

I’ll pretend I’m a pirate sailing over the sea

on a ship I call ‘hairy armpit tree’!

From singer-songwriter, June Pitman-Hayes comes a story told in both English and Maori that celebrates the family trees (literal trees) of a diverse range of children. From pohutukawa to olive, to flowering cherry ... even to the humble apple tree, which feeds its community.