Māori Rafter & Tāniko Designs

Classic guide to traditional Māori designs comes back into print after many years
Māori Rafter & Tāniko Designs

W.J. Phillipps

In the more than 80 years since Māori Rafter & Tāniko Designs first saw the light of day, the book’s clear text and sumptuous colour patterns have served legions of readers and craftspeople. 

Now Oratia Books is bringing this classic work by W.J Phillipps back into print, enabling a new generation to access a work that until now had been hard to source.

This handy guide provides a detailed exploration of important patterns used in Māori architecture and textiles, focusing on the intricate designs of rafter carving, tāniko weaving and tukutuku panels. 

With an all-new layout, updated text elements including macrons, and inclusion of new colour illustrations, this edition aims help readers easily access the designs.

Samoan Proverbs for Children shares traditional wisdom

Alagā’upu Fa’asamoa Ma Uiga mo Tamaiti
Samoan Proverbs for Children
Tauanu’u Perenise Tapu Sitagata
Illustrated by Ani Huia Ligaliga

Out for Samoan Language Week, a new book presents Samoan proverbs with explanations for children

Traditional wisdom that can inspire and guide the kids of today — that’s the concept for a bilingual picture book that will be published in time for Samoa Language Week 2025.

Alagā’upu Fa’asamoa Ma Uiga mo Tamaiti features 30 Samoan proverbs, vividly illustrated, with translations and explanations in both Gagana Samoa and English.

Designed to introduce children to the rich cultural heritage of Samoa, the book conveys proverbs that guide family life, leadership, education, the environment and more. 

Oratia Books Catalogue 2025

The Oratia Books Catalogue 2025 is out now in print and digital form.

This year we’re delighted to profile 15 additions to Oratia Books and two for our international Five Oceans imprint — alongside the more than 130 books we keep in print.

New in 2025 is our selection of Audiobooks (see page 9 of the catalogue), offering six choices across te reo reference, children’s storybooks and YA fiction.

Three new books add to the growing Moana Oceania series, curated by editorial director Carolyn Lagahetau.

From October Five Oceans will actively bring books from around the world into English and Pacific languages for readers across Oceania, with the outstanding Turkish junior novel The Ant Rebellion and fabulous Finnish picture book Forest Field Notes launching.

Many more New Zealand authors and illustrators fill the pages of this catalogue, which draws from Oratia Books’ grounding in Te Wao-nui-o-Tiriwa, the Waitakere Ranges forest, guarded by the ruru (native owl).

Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2025

The publishing world gathered in the historic Italian city of Bologna this past week for the biggest event on the global children’s book calendar — the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF). 

In four days at the Bologna fairgrounds in the city’s northeast, publishers, agents, authors, illustrators, librarians, booksellers, distributors, printers and many others came from the four corners of the Earth — to promote our authors and illustrators, do business and discuss ways forward in the face of digital and economic challenges. 

This 62nd edition of the fair brought 1,577 exhibitors from 95 countries, and a total of 33,318 trade visitors — an increase of 5% from 2024. 

New Zealand was there thanks to the collective stand organised by the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ), under its contract for international literature promotion with Creative New Zealand. 

With sharply increased costs for global exhibitions but no increase in the international budget for well over a decade, the New Zealand presence relies on collegiality, much volunteer time, and the support of our freight partner Book Systems International.