Meet the Kuwi & Friends whānau

Kat QUIN

Author / Illustrator

Kat Quin began in 2002 with illustration projects for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Takatū Associates and Open Wānanga. In 2014, working from her award-winning educational design studio, Design on Q, she set up her publishing imprint, Illustrated Publishing.

Since her first title, Kuwi’s First Egg, she has published over 22 books. In 2016 Te Hua Tuatahi a Kuwi (te reo Māori version Kuwi’s First Egg), translated by Pānia Papa, was the Children’s Choice Award Te Reo Māori at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Kat and Pānia’s large-format best-seller Kuwi & Friends Māori Picture Dictionary won the Edify Award for Best Educational Book or Series at the 2021 PANZ Book Design Awards, and was a Storylines Notable Non-fiction Book and a finalist for the New Zealand Children’s and Young Adult Non-fiction award. On her school visits, she talks about publishing and kiwi conservation; her bestselling series, Kuwi the Kiwi, has raised over $50,000 for Save the Kiwi, helping with kiwi conservation projects throughout Aotearoa.

PĀNIA PAPA

Te Reo Māori Advisor & translator

Pānia worked on the reo Māori translations, advising and editing for all of our translated pukapuka (books), Kuwi & Friends resources.

Pānia Papa is an acclaimed Māori language consultant and advocate who has spent the past three decades devoted to the teaching and learning of te reo Māori. After ten years of teaching te reo at Waikato University, Pānia began to create Māori language resources and learning programmes through Takatū Associates Ltd.

Pānia was involved in the establishment of Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo (Institute of Excellence in the Māori Language) and went on to become one of its tutors. Pānia continues to teach at national Kura Reo (week-long immersion workshops) and provides professional development for Māori medium teachers.

Māori Television viewers can watch Pānia on television on shows like AKO and Ōpaki. Recently, Pānia and fellow trustees launched Kotahi Rau Pukapuka, a charitable project aiming to release 100 books in te reo over the next decade or so.

Te Puaheiri Snowden

Kaiwhakaari

Te Puaheiri is the voice behind our ‘Kupu o te rā a Kuwi’ series, and pronunciation guide.

You may recognise Te Puaheiri as one of the hosts of Taringa Podcast alongside Paraone Gloyne, and the voice of Pāpā in Tama Kaiātea (Astro Kid)