10,000 Free Reo Māori Children’s Books To Be Gifted Across Aotearoa
by She Is Not Your Rehab · SCOOP55,500 COPIES. THREE LANGUAGES. ONE MESSAGE.
No child should have to carry what belongs to an adult.
A children’s book born from one family’s experience of violence has already reached thousands of tamariki and whānau across Aotearoa and internationally through its English and gagana Samoa editions.
Now, Kaua Māu e Pīkau, the te reo Māori edition of This Is Not Yours to Carry, will launch during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. The new edition brings the total number of copies produced across all three languages to 55,500.
Of the 10,500 te reo Māori copies printed, 10,000 will be gifted across Aotearoa to kura, kōhanga reo, refuges, kaupapa Māori organisations, hauora providers, social services and whānau.
A message born from lived experience
Written by Sarah Clare Brown MNZM (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa) and Taimalelagi Matt Brown MNZM (Samoa – Sapapali‘i, Falelatai and Nofoali‘i), the book draws on Matt’s childhood experience of family violence, including moving in and out of Women’s Refuge with his mother and siblings while his father moved in and out of prison.
When Sarah asked Matt what he wished someone had told him as a child, he answered:
“I wish someone had told me that the dysfunction I was carrying was never mine. That I could put it down.”
That became the heart and message of the story that has since been read by thousands of tamariki.
Through Tai, a child living with violence at home, and the voice of a wise wolf, children are given language to understand that adult problems, emotions and behaviour are not theirs to carry.
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Sarah said: “When the adults around them are dysregulated, absent, violent or hurting, children can conclude, ‘It must be my fault.’ We wanted to give children another message: this is not yours to carry.”
Now in three languages
- 40,000 English copies gifted across Aotearoa, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom
- 5,000 gagana Samoa copies gifted across Samoa and Aotearoa
- 10,500 te reo Māori copies produced, with 10,000 to be gifted across Aotearoa
The gagana Samoa edition, E Le O Sau Avega E Amo, preceded the te reo Māori release, extending the kaupapa into Pacific communities.
Kaua Māu e Pīkau was translated by Stacey Morrison and illustrated by Sarah and Matt’s eldest daughter, Oceana Olsen.
Evidence of impact
Feedback from 42 kaimahi using the English edition found:
- 83% said it opened conversations about difficult experiences
- 83% said it provided safe language for difficult conversations
- 64% observed tamariki recognising what was and was not theirs to carry
- 62% noticed tamariki becoming more willing to talk
- More than 90% rated its impact on tamariki 4 or 5 out of 5
One practitioner shared that after hearing the story, a boy who had been reluctant to participate asked:
“So does that mean I have the choice what to carry?”
The kaupapa
Kaua Māu e Pīkau is more than a translated book. It is a resource for tamariki, whānau, kaiako and practitioners to begin conversations about safety, emotions, responsibility and intergenerational harm in te reo Māori.
The te reo Māori edition has been made possible with support from Te Mātāwai and Foundation North, alongside distribution partner Kindness Collective.
It will launch with a kura event in Tāmaki Makaurau on Monday 14 September.
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