Kaiako's stories help inspire next generation of readers in te reo

_{Amiria Stirling (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Kāi Tahu) is a valued kaiako at Ara Institute of Canterbury}

As Aotearoa marks the first ever Children's Book Week, Ara Institute of Canterbury is shining a spotlight on one of its own: award-winning author, educator and te reo Māori advocate Amiria Stirling.

When she's not teaching or studying herself, Stirling has a talent for writing stories that help tamariki build language, spark imagination and see themselves reflected on the page.

Over more than 25 years as an educator and writer, she has produced a wealth of readers and learning resources in te reo Māori, earned national literary recognition and is currently completing her master's in te reo Māori.

Her latest award-winning manuscript, Tutū Tipihaere, grew from a real-life tale about a mischievous little dog who disappeared during a Christchurch softball tournament.

_{Real life little Tutū will one day bounce through the pages of a new children's book}

"We spent the whole day searching high and low for my friend's wee grey and black dog with big bushy eyebrows, but he just wasn't to be found," Stirling recalls.

The dog, a Bishon Frise-Shih Tzu cross named Tutū, spent the day on an unexpected adventure around Ōtautahi before eventually being reunited with his owner.

"A week later I thought I need to write this story down and it was done in half an hour. It was right there in front of me."

Inspired by the Japanese whānau who found Tutū, Stirling transformed the real-life escapade into an award-winning te reo Māori story that sees the curious little dog meet people from many different cultures around the city, including families connected to the Cook Islands, Samoa, Wales and France.

The manuscript earned her the prestigious Storylines Te Kahurangi Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira Award, her second win in the category following the success of Ngā Ngeru o te Tiriti o Pāia, which won the inaugural award in 2020.

For Stirling, children's books play a vital role in both literacy and language revitalisation.

"There's still a long way to go in terms of encouraging more writing in te reo Māori and finding commercial support for it, but awards like this have encouraged writing in te reo Māori.

"Writers have been given licence to create works beyond our pūrākau, our legends and our history. This category has allowed us to invent our own worlds and share our creativity."

Also a prolific creator of readers and educational resources, Stirling said creating work that is useful for teachers is her main driver.

"I want to create strong language features so that the work becomes a teaching resource. My aim is for tamariki to walk away with new words and add them to their language bank."

Seeing her latest book in print will take time, but Stirling hopes to see Ōtautahi shine through in Tutū's big day out.

"I think seeing Te Kaha stadium, the pier or Parakiore in there would be amazing. I love bright colours and characters whose personalities really come through."

Once again in the hands of Huia Publishers, the award-winning manuscript is set to become a future taonga for young readers, bringing together te reo, imagination and a little dog's big adventure.