To Trap a Taniwha and He Raru ki Tai is a gripping adventure set in seventeenth-century Tāmaki Makaurau, when the hapū of Ngā Oho / Ngā Iwi predominated.

This powerful story follows two brave cousins, Te Kawenga and Kakati, who uncover a plan to trap and kill Ureia, the taniwha of the Hauraki iwi. Fearing the consequences of such an act, they embark on a perilous journey to challenge the actions of their own leaders and save the taniwha. Full of Māori history, tikanga, and pūrākau, this book brings the past to life in a way that is both educational and deeply engaging, ideal for classroom discussions on kaupapa Māori, ethics, and environmental guardianship. Perfect for upper primary and intermediate students, the book is available at all good bookstores. Alternatively, you can access the ebook through Auckland Libraries, making it easy to read along with your students in class.

About the author

Whaea Jane Cooper brings over 20 years of experience teaching in rumaki and reorua classrooms, and has served as Paeārahi / Leader of Ngā Uri o Ngā Iwi, Māori Medium Education at Te Rehu, Westmere School. Through her teaching, she has seamlessly woven the rich history and pūrākau of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland into the curriculum, creating deeply engaging, culturally grounded learning experiences.

Her book is an invaluable resource for educators looking to authentically integrate te ao Māori into their teaching. A must-read for those passionate about culturally responsive education.

A taniwha in the city by Kennedy Warne

Te Routu o Ureia, The Backscratcher of Ureia, visible at low tide. (Photo: Kennedy Warne)

Meet Ureia the Hidden Guardian Beneath Auckland’s Harbour Bridge

Just beneath the southern end of Auckland’s Harbour Bridge lies a sacred site that thousands cross daily without ever knowing it’s there, Ko Te Routu o Ureia tērā, a reef named after a taniwha who once calmed the waters of Tīkapa Moana / Hauraki and helped guide the Tainui Waka around the same time Hape come to Tāmaki.

Unlike the fearsome creatures of some traditions, Ureia was a kaitiaki — a guardian, protector, and gracious host. His story reminds us of our shared responsibility to care for the environment around us, especially the fragile marine ecosystems of the Waitematā.

Ureia's presence also weaves through the narrative of Jane Cooper’s To Trap a Taniwha, connecting past and present through storytelling to our mokopuna keeping these rich pūrākau alive.

Discover the rich kōrero of Ureia — a taniwha of mana, memory, and meaning — and the call he still makes today to honour and restore the waters he once called home.

Read the full story and explore Auckland’s forgotten heritage site.

Link to full text here

Endorsement of Curriculum Programme Resource (CPR) critical guide to Maori and Pakeha histories for educators in Waitematā and Aotearoa Whānui.

Back on 18th April 2016 Ms Hanly said she mortaged her house to research and produce the "critical guide to Māori and Pākehā histories of Aotearoa" alongside Ruth Lemon while teaching at Te Uru Karaka, Newton Central Primary School.

The lecturer now at the University of Auckland, Ms Hanly explained she had written it to cover 200 years of accurate history from both a Pākehā and Māori viewpoint.

"It's like a beginner's guide for dummies, if you like, about Māori and Pākehā history that we didn't know - that I didn't know previously."

She said the Ministry of Education had refused to fund her project.

Listen to our kaiko endorse this resource.

This curriculum consists of six unit booklets (see below) written by Tamsin Hanly, and edited & illustrated by Ruth Lemon make a box-set for education centres to purchase, copy, do professional development, read, plan and teach from. The content chronologically covers Te Ao Māori o Nehera, British Isles, Two Worlds Meet, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Pākehā Responses, Māori Responses. Optional junior and senior activities and integrated curriculum term-overviews are included. It is a single programme to help educators plan and teach their approach to New Zealand’s Māori and Pākehā cultures and histories cohesively.

This curriculum can practically support New Zealand Curriculum goals which require New Zealanders to be knowledgeable about Māori and Pākehā, to understand histories of their relationship and enact Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It can effectively enact Ministry and other related educational policies that expect educators to do this. It has been written in response to research findings that teachers have outdated knowledge about Māori and Pākehā histories and a lack of accurate history, Te Tiriti and Māori knowledge. Teachers also avoid controversial content and believe younger students cannot manage this content.

The curriculum initial target audience is primary schools, principals and practitioners but it can also be professional development for all educational levels such as secondary and ECE, including school Boards of Trustees. It has been written for both mainstream and Māori pathways, and practitioners of all ethnicities to teach students of all ethnicities.

Kura can purchase the set of books to copy after signing a copyright agreement.
Reference sets of the books can be bought at a lower rate for our Kāhui Ako. Please email to negotiate a price.

tamsinhanly@xtra.co.nz+64 21 216 ruth.lemon@gmail.com

About the author

Dawn Raid (My New Zealand Story)

Like many 13-year-old girls, Sofia's main worries are how to get some groovy go-go boots, and how not to die of embarrassment giving a speech at school!But when her older brother Lenny starts talking about marches and protests and overstayers, and how Pacific Islanders are being bullied by the police for their passports and papers, a shadow is cast over Sofia's sunny teenage days. Through her heartfelt diary entries, we witness the terror of being dawn-raided and gain an insight into the courageous and tireless work of the Polynesian Panthers in the 1970s as they encourage immigrant families across New Zealand to stand up for their rights.

Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith is an author and educationalist. Born in the small rural town of Mataura, Pauline is of Samoan, Tuvaluan, Scottish and Irish descent. Smith's first book My New Zealand Story: Dawn Raid, was a finalist at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young People in the Esther Glen, Junior Fiction and Best First Book categories. It was the winner of the Best First Book for 2018.

More Information here about Newton East

Barkell and Mr Arkell : a tale from Auckland's lost suburb - Newton East

A tale from Auckland’s lost suburb, Newton East. “In Barkell and Mr Arkell the past comes alive with real people living in real places allowing readers to explore a part of Auckland that has now vanished under motorways. Discover what life was like 100 years ago accompanied by Barkell the local canine larrikin.” David Veart

About the authors

Lynnie Howcroft and the team Elianna Gabriel, Jade Oskar Harvey and S'Wee H'ng put together the book Barkell and Mr Arkell listen to the project in the Pātaka kōrero - Auckland Libeary podcast.

Dr Valance Smith has published an amazing piece of local history called, "He wai! The place of waiata in extrapolating tūrangawaewae," first published in the MAI Journal, he explores how waiata (Māori song) can establish and maintain a person's connection to their ancestral land or place of belonging, known as tūrangawaewae. He aha te hau? is a well known waiata that established mana whenua here in Tamaki. Learn about the the waiata, it's transition and the beautiful story

Cheeky patupaiārehe (fairy people) in Miriama Kamo's books

Miriama Kamo cleverly uses Patupaiarehe - the mischievous, elusive fairy folk from our local histories as sneaky characters in her children's books to pass on local histories and cultural knowledge. Just as stories of Waitematā harbor and Te Toka Roa (causeway) carry forward important cultural understanding, Kamo's sneaky Patupaiarehe become engaging vehicles for teaching young readers about our heritage, using the natural trickster qualities of these mythical forest dwellers to create captivating stories that preserve and share traditional knowledge with the next generation.