Ko tōku reo, tōku ohooho, tōku māpihi maurea, tōku whakakai marihi.
My language is my precious gift, my object of affection, and my prized ornament.

This sparkling new collection brings more than 40 languages together, story by story, highlighting the beautifully complex realities of Aotearoa’s multicultural and multilingual society. Including microfictions and creative nonfictions, plus 12 essays from language practitioners and experts, Te Moana o Reo holds words to the light, examining, contemplating and declaring who we are. This is a 21st-century view of Aotearoa, a taonga for our world.

Writers include: David Eggleton, Airana Ngarewa, Melanie Kwang, Karlo Mila, Ghazaleh Gol, James Norcliffe, Robert Sullivan, Lynn Jenner, Harry Ricketts, Jana Grohnert, Serie Barford, Lynn Davidson, Renee Liang, Hēmi Kelly

‘Revel in the many foam-tossed stories within, dive deep, follow their taniwha sounds, play in this ocean of languages.’ —Witi Ihimaera

‘Although language is the common thread that binds these pieces together, the range of stories contained is as broad as the languages represented, each a surprising burst of colour and sound.’
— Chris Tse, New Zealand Poet Laureate