My First Words in Maori

Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngai Tahu) is a radio and TV broadcaster whose projects have spanned 25 years. She is also a mama to three young tamariki who have been brought up with te reo Maori as their mother tongue. Stacey herself didn’t learn to speak Maori until she was an adult. It required a lot of research, determination, wonderful mentors and the support of a community to achieve her goal of becoming fluent by the time her children were born. Stacey and her husband Scotty co-wrote Maori at Home to help other families use te reo in everyday settings, and Stacey's first children's book, My First Words in Maori, became a number-one bestseller. Both Stacey and Scotty work with many groups and families to build Maori-language friendships and community for whanau. Stacey has also been an advisor on pre-schooler and children’s TV shows, which, along with her experiences with her own children, has helped her identify the words children pick up early in their language learning. As a winner of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori Champion Award in 2016 and a graduate of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo (the Institute of Excellence in Maori Language), Stacey loves encouraging the learning and use of our country’s beautiful native language.

Ali Teo and John O'Reilly are freelance New Zealand illustrators and designers who have collaborated on several award-winning children’s books, including Tahi - One Lucky Kiwi (with Melanie Drewery), Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck!, Duck’s Stuck and Melu (all with Kyle Mewburn). They live in Papamoa Beach with their son Tiger and quite a few rescued animals including (at the moment) two dogs, eight chickens and nine goldfish.