White Lies, Māori Legends and Fairytales

A story about a boy with the dream of becoming an All Black and the hope that his people will not get shoved aside in an ever-changing Aotearoa.

White Lies, Māori Legends and Fairytales is an award winning novel being used in classrooms in over sixty schools nation wide to help students engage with the history of Aotearoa. It is a powerful, engaging story about a boy called Pētera, and his best mate Hone, growing up in small town Aotearoa. The book is full of childhood antics and adventure – surfing the sand dunes, dreaming of being an All Black, doing anything they can to stop a weirdo girl from joining their gang, and avoiding Wiremu, the school bully, who wants to smash their faces in any chance he gets!

But meeting new people prompts the boys to ask questions about their world.

What happened between Māori and Europeans over land all those years ago? Was it fair? What does it mean today? Why did there have to be a war where people died? Why did people sign the Treaty of Waitangi? How different are New Zealand Māori people, from New Zealand European people, and what do they think of each other now?

The boys discover that not everyone views the world in the same way and that sometimes you have to fight for who you are in a world that seems to be changing around you…