Let's Go, Mānuka
Set in a native forest watched over by Tāne Mahuta, Let’s Go, Mānuka is a lyrical picture book about healing, resilience, and guardianship.
When fire sweeps through the ngahere, the forest falls silent and bare, but hope returns as a small mānuka seedling bravely sprouts from the ash. Through gentle rhyme and rich imagery, the story follows mānuka as she grows, heals the land, supports bees and birds, and helps life return, showing young readers that even after destruction, nature has the power to recover.
Blending Māori worldview, environmental science, and poetic storytelling, the book celebrates kaitiakitanga, regeneration, and the quiet strength of native plants in caring for Papatūānuku.
A 13-page illustrated picture book set in a recovering ngahere, Let’s Go, Mānuka follows a young mānuka plant as new life returns after fire. Blending gentle rhyme, Māori worldview, and ecological understanding, the story celebrates healing, resilience, and care for Papatūānuku.