Monday, 15 September 2025

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2025

 



Our Russley Writers took up the September Poetry Box challenge... to write a poem celebrating te reo Māori. We began with the word whanau and used it to springboard ideas and "grow a poem". Some poems use one or two te reo words and others use more. What is your favourite te reo word?

All five poems were selected for publication on Poetry Box. You can read them below, or go to the Poetry Box NZ website to read more. Paula Green said she received an astonishing amount of wonderful poems and it was very hard to pick what to post. Congratulations to Jharred, Brodie, Ila, Daisy and Sankalpa for being e-published, and special mention to Sankalpa who Paula chose to send a book to. 


Childhood Dream

To be a tamaiti:
I’d need,
two warm ringa hugging me tight,
a feed of bite sized pieces,
and baby finger kai

I’d need to
sail an imaginary moana,
in a bumpy bucket boat,
get yelled at everyday,
do your mahi!
go to school!

I’d 
use blankets as my kingdom,
crawl around my soft crib,
with blankets like fluffy clouds,

I’d need 
a harry potter pukapuka after bed,
and a softly whispered,
goodnight.

Jharred J
Year 8




If only I could go back

Soft toy panda twice the size of me
Little red balance bike
A million rākau on dad’s 10 acres backyard
Branches creaking like rusty door hinges
Eating devilled sausages like a greedy pig
Eat all of your veggies, Brodie, mum would say
– at least eat half of it
Ice cream at kura

If only I can go back

Brodie
Year 8



My Childhood In Nepal Fades Away As My Life Moves On

football at the pāka
with my cousins

festival dumplings 
with chicken and chilli fillings
 
my mum tells me to eat my kai
without looking at a screen

the rooster’s crow
wakes the neighbourhood

early morning
kite flying on the roof

Sankalpa P
Yr8



In The Past

old mā bear
is now considered childish
a fun picture pukapuka filled with laughter and happiness
is now immature
an animal duvet cover
now plain kāhurangi 
enjoying fun pāngarau sheets
now more complex with confusing letters and symbols
a bed I cried getting into 
is almost impossible to get out of
a cute dress or skirt 
is now jeans and hoodies scented with perfume
keep the heads on your lego people, mama says
a lego room full of adventure 
now has been taken apart
don’t jump from the rākau, papa says
a trampoline, rope swing, monkey bars, high climbing tree
now, the backyard is empty

kei te pehea koe? you ask
I’m missing the past

Ila R
Year 8



My moana 

My moana loves her creatures
My moana loves her stars
My moana loves her people
My moana loves me
Daisy F
Yr8



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