A story of Toheroa, takes out prestigous award

Te Kopuru kaumatua and beach kaitiaki (guardian) – James Te Tuhi has written a childrens book on Toheroa. Translated into Maori by Ross Gregory it was launched at Te Kopuru Primary School last year in 2008.

Mr Te Tuhi told the Dargaville and Districts News that he was inspired to write the story down after talking with teachers who could see a need for more resources in school.

"I have gained a lot of knowledge over my 30 plus years about the coast, as a kaumatua and kaitiaki and then the opportunity arose to put this book together," Mr Te Tuhi says.

Earlier this year, Mr Te Tuhi's book won the prestigous LIANZA Te Kura Pounamu Awards chosen by the Library and Information Association of New Zealand.

It was chosen by Maori Librarians from around the country. Judges comments included.

An impressive range of photos detail the various aspects of the toheroa and work with the text to capture the reader. This book covers a wide range of explanatory information from the legends about the toheroa to the preservation of toheroa.
Māori tikanga, history and values are interwoven into the different sections. The language is informative and easy to follow explaining new terms in the text.

For the full story go to: Full article on book launch
    
                                      Article on the awards