Ko Māori me Airihi me Kōtarina ngā iwi o ōku tīpuna.
I whakahautia ahau e ngā ngahere o Houtū
I amoamohia ahau e ngā wai o Mangakahia
I whakatā ōku waewae kei runga te puku o Tītoki
I whānaua ahau e a Ōtautahi engari i tipu ake ahau i wīwā i wāwā
He ngā wāhi o Te Puke, o Whāngarei, o Mangakāhia, o Tamaki Mākaurau, o Ōtepoti ngā huruhuru ātaahua o te manu awhi māku.
Kei te noho tōku kāinga e te awhiawhi o Waihora ināianei.
Ahakoa, ka noho tōku manawa ki roto i te whenua katoa o Aotearoa
I was sheltered by the forests of Houtū
I was bourne aloft by the waters of Mangakahia
My feet rested on the belly of Tītoki
I was birthed by Christchurch but I grew up all over the place; Te Puke, Whangarei, Mangakahia, Auckland, and Dunedin are the beautiful feathers of my adopting bird.
My home lives in the embrace of Lincoln now despite that [living in Lincoln] my heart lives in all the land of NZ.
Tania, (Ngāti Porou) is a veteran educator and an award-winning writer of over thirty published works. She has a BA in Humanities from Massey University and a BA in Māori Studies from Otago University. Tania’s 30 year teaching career has included times as Head of English, drama teacher, actor, director, musician, English curriculum developer, short story judge, and writing mentor. Her most recent publications are Bastion Point: 507 Days on Takaparawha, which won the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction, (2017) and two secondary English text books. Her new children’s novel, Charlie Tangaroa and the creature from the sea, will be published by Huia Publishers early 2020.
Tania’s happy places are: her classroom, at home with her husband, enjoying pajama days, and wherever she can snatch time to read – most often books recommended by her students.
We have welcomed Tania as our 13th writer-in-residence for the year.