Haeta te Kapua is watching her Nanny Rina make a net. She has a special room where she likes to weave, with supplies of flax leaves and
fibres, and supplejack vines hanging on a wall.
“Nan, I’m so excited that Matariki has arrived!
Are you going to use these taonga to weave something special?
What net will you make?”
Nanny Rina explains that she chooses what net to weave depending on which of the nine stars of Matariki shines the brightest. Each star has its own message about the kai for the year ahead.
There are small nets to catch birds for the hangi, eel nets for plump juicy eels and larger nets for fish. Nanny Rina is an expert weaver but her favourite is the special net from Taramainuku that collects the spirits during Matariki to turn them into stars.
Learning so much more about Matariki excites Haeata te Kapua – keen to experience it the very next morning before the sun rises.
With her whanau gathered together before dawn, they see the steam rise from the hautapu / hangi into the sky to feed their atua and stars of Matariki.
It’s always exciting to see a new book for our special collections, and Nanny Rina’s Amazing Nets is just in time for Matariki 2024.
As soon as I opened the front cover I discovered more about the nine stars of Matariki. Each is displayed with their name and their connection to kai /food, the growing seasons, dreams, loved ones and weather.
Haeata te Kupua is a bright inquisitive likeable character, keen to learn more about her Nanny’s weaving and connections to Matariki.
An extra bonus is in the rear of the book – clear step by step instructions on how to make your own net with flax fibres or string!
There is also a Kuputaka / Glossary to expand your te reo and add more to the story. Nanny Rina’s Amazing Nets brings something different to Matariki picture book collections, and is a must for school libraries.
Author – Qiane Matata-Sipu
Illustrator – Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
Picture Book
(2024, Penguin NZ, Matariki, Stars, Aotearoa New Zealand, NZ Author, NZ Illustrator, Grandmother, Nanny, Nanna, Grandma, Family, Whanau, Kai, Family, Love, Nets, Making nets, Weaving, Flax Aroha, Traditions, Passing on knowledge, Granddaughter, Wāhine Māori)