Tagata Atamai

📘 Excerpt from MOANA: Voices of Our Ocean 🌊 A collection of poems by Indigenous storytellers ✍🏾

Moana: Voices of Our Ocean is a collection of poems that was written for and by the descendants of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. This book is an ode to the ocean that connects us, and our shared migrations. It is a living artefact of our collective memory; an undercurrent that pulls us towards ancestral ways of knowing, dreaming, and navigating.

This collection features writing from Audrey Brown-Pereira, Grace Iwash*ta-Taylor, Danielle Kionasina Dilys Thomson, Hira Nathan, Mauatua Fa’ara-Reynolds, Brianne Te Paa, Dorell Ben, Elise Sadlier, Montana Tiatia-Sefilino, Māia Te Whetū, John Taukäve, Moira Lomas, Katriana Taufalele, Savannah Patterson, Sarah Dell Ioka Enticott, Rewa Fowles, Christel Hamer, m. paea, Sophia Matafeo, and Rebecca Jennifer George.

Cover artwork by Danielle Kionasina Dilys Thomson
Edited by Danielle Kionasina Dilys Thomson

Published by Tagata Atamai in August 2025

🌀 Featured kupu by Moira Lomas 🌀

Moira Lomas (Ngāi Tahu, Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, England, Ireland) (she/her/ia) is a writer whose work explores themes of transformation and whakapapa. Her poetry and prose draw from personal reflection, creating a space for both individual and collective memory.

🔗 Find your copy of this taonga via the link in bio. 💜

🌊🌊 RESTOCKED: For All We Know by Zechariah Soakai 💜💜💜

Zech Soakai’s debut solo collection of writing offers several well-travelled spoken word poems, a couple of essays, and new deep reflections that all navigate joy, grief, and what it means to be a descendant of the Moana in the 21st century. This collection is a celebration of the villages that raised him, the prayers of families, and the dreams left to pursue.

“I swallowed an ocean today

To connect two islands without using war.”

📘 Purchase your copy at www.tagataatamai.co.nz/store
🔗 Link in bio. 🌺

We amplify Moana voices through education, publishing, & production. Our programmes, publications, products, & platforms empower Indigenous storytellers to cultivate thriving creative ecosystems that nurture people & planet. 🌱

www.tagataatamai.co.nz

💜

Our mission is to promote access to Indigenous stories, enhance the agency of Indigenous storytellers, & support the actualisation of Indigenous aspirations by nurturing, platforming & connecting Moana storytelling communities in Aotearoa & beyond.

Tagata Atamai,

Amplifying Moana voices since 2023. 💜

Kupu by from MOANA: Voices of Our Ocean 🌊🌀💜

Moana: Voices of Our Ocean is a collection of poems that was written for and by the descendants of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. This book is an ode to the ocean that connects us, and our shared migrations. It is a living artefact of our collective memory; an undercurrent that pulls us towards ancestral ways of knowing, dreaming, and navigating.

This collection features writing from Audrey Brown-Pereira, Grace Iwash*ta-Taylor, Danielle Kionasina Dilys Thomson, Hira Nathan, Mauatua Fa’ara-Reynolds, Brianne Te Paa, Dorell Ben, Elise Sadlier, Montana Tiatia-Sefilino, Māia Te Whetū, John Taukäve, Moira Lomas, Katriana Taufalele, Savannah Patterson, Sarah Dell Ioka Enticott, Rewa Fowles, Christel Hamer, m. paea, Sophia Matafeo, and Rebecca Jennifer George.

📘 Find your copy via the link in bio. 🔗

Savannah Patterson (Ngāti Porou, Pākehā) (she/her) is a writer from Tairāwhiti. She gained a Master’s in Creative Writing from the Auckland University of Technology, and initially embarked on a career in journalism. Now based in Waikato, she works as a secondary English and Media Studies teacher. Her poetry has been published by takahē, and her reviews by Kete Books.

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🌀 CALLING ALL MOANA AND MĀORI WRITERS!! 💜💜💜 Submissions are open. 💌 FANUA: Voices of Our Islands ~ coming soon… 📗

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