Oratia Books is proud to announce a new series to bring bilingual reading about the South Pacific to children in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Devised and delivered by Carolyn Lagahetau, Oratia’s Niuean-Kiwi editorial director, the Moana Oceania Series aims to address the lack of good reading materials about the South Pacific not only in English but also in local languages.
When a book is published, it's rightly the author (and oftentimes illustrator) that receive kudos and publicity, and have their photos on our website and in the media. The core team that runs Oratia Books (Alessandra, Belinda, Carolyn and Peter) are also profiles on the website and get to bask in the reflected glory of every new title or reprint. Beyond that, though, are a range of dedicated individuals at work to ensure our books are well edited, designed, printed, promoted, distributed and sold. At the risk of missing someone out, here's an end-of-year shout out to the folks whose work behind the scenes has enabled our 2022 books to reach the world:
Māui – Sun Catcher / Māui – Te Kaihao i te Rā Tim Tipene Illustrated by Zak Waipara Translated by Rob Ruha Rona Moon / Ko Rona Māhina Tim Tipene Illustrated by Theresa Reihana Translated by Stephanie Huriana Fong Paperback editions of Tim Tipene's retelling of two traditional stories are now in print, offering these fully bilingual English and Te Reo editions in a more affordable format. The paperback editions are priced at $22.99, a 12% reduction from the previous hardback books.
Toby Curtis Unfinished Business – Ki hea āpōpō Sir Toby Curtis with Lorraine Berridge McLeod The late Te Arawa leader sets out his life from poverty to knighthood with frank views on education and racism Knowing that he was unwell, over the past year the late Sir Toby Curtis worked with long-time friend Dr Lorraine Berridge McLeod to record his life and views on key areas from his stellar career — especially Māori education and leadership, and his experience of racism. Toby Curtis – Unfinished business: Ki hea āpōpō follows Toby’s progress from his humble origins through family life and his mahi as a teacher and lecturer, government adviser in education and broadcasting, and leader of the Te Arawa iwi confederation.
