Writing Aotearoa with Gavin Bishop

As a child Gavin Bishop (Tainui, Ngāti Awa) aspired to be an artist as a possible escape from adult drudgery. After working as a school art teacher he began illustrating and writing children’s books. Late last year his stunning visual history of the New Zealand Wars of the 1800s – Patu – was published, and this year he introduced Titiro – Look, a board book of first words in Māori and English. He discusses his devotion to telling New Zealand stories to New Zealand children with Angela Thompson, treasured school librarian.

Gavin Bishop ONZM (Tainui, Ngāti Awa), is a leading Māori writer and illustrator living in Otautahi, Christchurch. He has published over 70 books internationally and been translated into 12 languages. Gavin has written for television and theatre, as well as a libretti for the Royal New Zealand Ballet. His awards include the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults multiple times, the Sir Kingi Ihaka award for lifetime contribution to Māori art and culture, and the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement – Non Fiction.

Angela Thompson is teacher librarian and literacy lead teacher at Remarkables Primary School in Queenstown. She is particularly passionate about writers in schools, organising regular Central Otago tours for NZ authors and illustrators. Angela is a regular reviewer for Read NZ and presented at the SLANZA Conference in 2021, where she was awarded the SLANZA award for Excellence.