Huia Publishers

Huia Publishers is a New Zealand publishing company based in Wellington, established in 1991.[1] Huia publishes material in Māori and English for adults and children, including graphic novels, picture books, chapter books, novels and resources for kura kaupapa Māori (Māori language schools).[2][3]

Background

Huia was founded by Robyn Rangihuia Bargh and her husband Brian Bargh in 1991 in response to a lack of publishers focused on telling Māori stories with a Māori worldview.[2] Bargh won the inaugural Te Tohu Toi Kē a Te Waka Toi award from Creative New Zealand in 2006 for 'making a difference in the literary sector.'[4][5]

Along with the Māori Literature Trust, Huia have run the Te Papa Tupu programme that supports Māori writers to develop their skills.[6]

In 2022 the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival programmed an event Thirty Years of HUIA with the then-directors of Huia, Eboni Waitere (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne) and Brian Morris (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongowhakaata) and co-founder Robyn Bargh.[7]

Awards and recognition

In 2022, Huia was a finalist for the Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publisher of the Year at the annual Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy.[8] In 2024, Huia won the award.[3]

References

1. Keane, Basil (11 March 2010). "Huia Publishers". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu Taonga. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
2. "Kōkiri 27 – Huia Publishers 21 Years in Flight". www.tpk.govt.nz. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
3. "Huia Publishers' world-stage award drives motivation to keep amplifying reo Māori". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
4. "Thirty Years of HUIA (Online)". Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
5. "PIKIHUIA AWARDS FOR MÂORI WRITERS CEREMONY". The Beehive. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
6. "A great opportunity for Māori writers". Māori Television. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
7. "Thirty Years of HUIA (Online)". Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
8. "Māori-owned book publishers win Bologna Prize: 'This is huge for us'". 1News. Retrieved 14 April 2024.

External links

• Huia website
• Interview with Robyn Bargh