Winner of the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and Elsie Locke Non-Fiction Awards

Winner Best Children's Book, PANZ Book Design Awards 2023


Te Wehenga is the separation of Ranginui, sky-father, and Papatuanuku, earth-mother.
Award-winning illustrator Mat Tait has written and illustrated this stunning retelling of the Maori creation story for a new generation.
Te reo Maori and English are woven together in a seamless bilingual approach to the text, with the visceral illustrations powerfully underlining the mana of the story.

Ko te Wehenga te korero mo Ranginui te matua raua ko Papatuanuku te whaea.
Ko Mat Tait tetahi ringatoi kua whakawhiwhia ki nga tohu, a, nana nga kupu, nana tonu nga whakaahua o te pukapuka ataahua nei mo te orokotimatanga o te ao, hei panui ma te reanga hou.
Kua whiriwhiria te reo Maori me te reo Pakeha, e mama ai te whai haere i nga kupu, a, ka whakatinanahia te mana o te korero e nga whakaahua e kaha hapai ana i nga kupu.


'Tait's writing is poetic and full of wairua. He threads heart and feeling through the fabric of the book. These illustrations are like nothing I've seen before. They are simply stunning - moody, dark and dripping with meaning Te Wehenga is a masterpiece that is so much more than 'just a book'. It belongs on every bookshelf.' - Rebekah Fraser, NZ Book Lovers

'In Te Wehenga, the art and the words are all Mat's, and the end result is an absolute treasure.' - Briar Lawry, The Sapling

'Te Wehenga The Separation of Ranginui and Papatuanuku is a bold and beautiful thing. It is all so very ... finely furious, so vigorously shown, it seems as sure a celebration of the body and also therefore of humanity itself. It is a triumph, a taonga, a treasure.'- S J Mannion, takahe magazine

'This is a book you must read and share and celebrate. The artwork is stunning, the interplay of languages is necessary, the gift of this book in the world immeasurable.' Paula Green, Poetry Box