ReviewsNgā Arotakenga

Read our independent reviews of the latest books from Aotearoa.

Pānuihia ā mātou arotakenga tūhake o ngā pukapuka hou nō Aotearoa.

Review: Edith Collier: Early New Zealand Modernist

'Massey University Press’ gorgeous new book on Collier is a comprehensive introduction to her life and art which follows on from Joanne Drayton’s excellent biography published in 1...

Reviewed by Linda Herrick

22 September 2024

Review

Ngā Hapa Reo nā Hona Black rāua ko Te Aorangi Murphy-Fell

'Ngā Hapa Reo, e puta ki te ao mārama hei nanao atu mā te hunga ako e whai nei kia pakari ake, kia Māori ake, kia tika ake ō rātou nā reo...'

Reviewed by Nā Hēmi Kelly i arotake

18 September 2024

Review

Ringakōreko

Ngā arotake a ngā kaipānui tamariki. 'Ko Poaka taku tino kiripuaki, nā te mea he pōrangi rawa atu ia...'

Reviewed by Nā Atareria (8) i arotake

17 September 2024

Review

Te Repo (The Mires), nā Tina Makereti i tuhi

'Mārama ana tā te kaituhi whakaatu i ngā kiripuaki me te kōrero whānui, rumaki tonu atu te kaipānui ki roto, nā runga i te hiranga o te tuhituhi a Makereti...'

Reviewed by Nā Natasha Lampard i arotake, ā, nā Hēmi Kelly i whakamāori

17 September 2024

Review

Tā Tātou e Mōhio nei (All That We Know), nā Shilo Kino i tuhi

‘He mea pei ia ki ētehi āhuatanga kāore i tonoa e ia, kāore hoki e paingia ana e ia, ā, kua hōhā, kua tūhāhā hoki a Māreikura Pohe.’

Reviewed by Nā Damien Levi i arotake, ā, nā Hēmi Kelly i whakamāori

16 September 2024

Review

He Tārū Kahika

Ngā arotake a ngā kaipānui tamariki. 'He kupu ātaahua, pēnā i ngā kupu nei, i te hoa piripono, ka mau te wehi, tētehi, me te kōpatapata...'

Reviewed by He arotakenga nā Ava (11) & Te Aurere (9)

15 September 2024

Review

Rere Atu Taku Poi!

Ngā arotake a ngā kaipānui tamariki. 'I pai māua ki te māia o Rangi, nā te mea i whakaohooho ia i a māua...'

Reviewed by Nā Aurora nā Arihia; nā Mya, nā Te Ataroa i arotake

15 September 2024

Review

Ko Tama me te Taniwha

Ngā arotake a ngā kaipānui tamariki. 'He kupu hou, pēnā i te whakamahinehia, te tukutahi, me te paratītanga, engari he pai ngā kupu...'

Reviewed by Nā Elijah (9), nā Irihapeta (11) i arotake

15 September 2024

Review

Te Hauhake a Nanny Mihi | Nanny Mihi's Harvest

Ngā arotake a ngā kaipānui Tamariki. 'Ko te tino kiripuaki, ki ō mātau whakaaro, ko Nanny, nā te hātakēhi o āna kōrero...'

Reviewed by Nā Nuku, nā Niko, nā Aidan i arotake

15 September 2024

Review

Ko Ngā Whetū Kai o Matariki: Tupuānuku rāua Ko Tupuārangi

Ngā arotake a ngā kaipānui tamariki. 'He maha ngā kupu hou, pēnā i te makawe pākura, te karapetau, te whaupa, me te kūpā. He pai tērā, nā te mea ka ako koe i ngā kupu hou...'

Reviewed by Nā Amokura (8), nā Ngakuru (9) i arotake

14 September 2024

Review

Te Wheketere Moemoeā

Ngā arotake a ngā kaipānui Tamariki. 'He pai ki a mātou ngā whakaaro i ngā pikitia. Te maha hoki o ngā tae me ngā mea ka kitea...'

Reviewed by Nā Zara Duggan, nā Te Aranga Khamal (10), nā Linko Merito te arotake nei

14 September 2024

Review

Review: The Twisted Chain, by Jason Gurney

'In his first book, Jason Gurney does a remarkable job of weaving his own family story with the story of rheumatic fever prevention and control in Aotearoa...'

Reviewed by Rachel Webb

11 September 2024

Review

Review: A House Built on Sand, by Tina Shaw

'Maxine reminds us repeatedly that she still has all her marbles, thank you very much, just one or two have been misplaced, like that important file from her job as a social worker...

Reviewed by Rochelle Ganderton

9 September 2024

Review

Review: Pātea Boys, by Airana Ngarewa

'Regardless of which end one starts from, in either language, Ngarewa’s storytelling is lyrical and evocative, offering us a window into a world rich with culture and history; of a...

Reviewed by Isla Huia

1 September 2024

Review

Review: View from the Second Row, by Sam Whitelock

'The book is staunchly laconic and always keen to get to the point. Whitelock epitomises the quintessentially stoic All Black, reminding us that in his role as unflappable world-cl...

Reviewed by Chris Long

29 August 2024

Review

Review: Sam the Trap Man, by Sam Gibson

'You learn about a roaring horn and a hummel; how a single snapped ponga frond can spook a deer. If your steak has grown green edges, then trim them and rub with horopito leaves......

Reviewed by David Hill

26 August 2024

Review

Review: The Mermaid Chronicles, by Megan Dunn

Mermaids and new motherhood: Claire Williamson reviews artist Megan Dunn's latest book.

Reviewed by Claire Williamson

25 August 2024

Review

Review: Koe: An Aotearoa ecopoetry anthology

'Koe refers to the cry of a bird. H.W. Williams’ Dictionary of the Māori Language also defines ‘koe’ as a scream; a disturbing scream from the forest, or the shore, or the marshes,...

Reviewed by Elizabeth Heritage

22 August 2024