Te Reo Māori Adaptations – Available Now!








   Kia ora ai te reo Māori hei reo kōrero mō Aotearoa.   

Māori Language is a living national taonga for all New Zealanders.


Introducing 48 best-selling Red Rocket Reader titles as the starting line-up of our new te reo Māori library.  Ideal for Māori-speaking students learning to read with Guided Reading or small group instruction and also for young readers first exploring reo Māori.

Can be purchased individually, or paired with the matching English language editions.

Red Rocket Readers feature colourful, entertaining illustrations that support the text, launch oral discussion and develop student comprehension. The classic story structure (tension, climax and resolution) ensures children will want to engage with the texts.

  •  enable students to read for enjoyment and information as they access meaning from text.
  • feature meaningful concepts and experiences that children can relate to.
  • develop word recognition along with language development.
  • focus on increasing knowledge of print conventions, phonological patterns and phonic knowledge in context.
  • develop and ensure the success of reading strategies.

The original Red Rocket Readers English language editions align with the NZ literacy colour wheel, from NZ Reading Recovery levels 1-14: Emergent | Magenta, Early 1 | Red, Early 2 | Yellow, Early 3 | Blue, Early 4 | Green. (View F&P Guided Reading and Lexile levels here)



In-Book Tools: Teacher Lesson Preparation


Within the covers of each Red Rocket Reader is a set of useful tools designed to support and guide the teacher:


Korero Kaiako gives an overview of each story (it’s characters, plot, scene and vocabulary) to aid group discussions and to activate prior knowledge.

Mahere Whakaako lists the literacy strategies and features of print to learn.

Kupu Aronga are listed so teachers can see at a glance the focus vocabulary for each title.
Rahinga Kupu help simplify assessment.

Kāri on the inside back covers provide extra learning opportunities. Can be used in place or photocopied.

Downloadable Tools


Register and login to view and download our printable resources.


Akoranga Printable PDF lists the literacy strategies and features of print to learn.

Papamahi in PDF format available for all titles.

eBook Editions for all titles are available via online subscription. View a full page-turning sample from each colour level here.

Why Adaptations? Rather than simple translation, each title has been lovingly and carefully retold by Tiare Dickson, reworking and rewriting as needed to ensure an authentic adaptation.


Māwhero


  • 8 Kōrero Paki  Titles Available Now
  •  8 Kōrero Pono  Titles Available Now
  • Adapted from a selection of Red Rocket Emergent Level | Magenta titles
  • Themes/Concepts: Machines, Movement, Oceans, Food, Weather, Dinosaurs, Animal Features, Life Experience.
  • eBook Editions for all titles
  • Teacher Tool: Akoranga  PDF available online for all titles in both te reo Māori and English (Currently in production)
  • Extension Activity:  Papamahi PDF available online for all titles in both te reo Māori and English



Whero


  • 8 Kōrero Paki  Titles Available Now
  •  8 Kōrero Pono  Titles Available Now
  • Adapted from a selection of Red Rocket Readers Early Level 1 | Red titles
  • Themes/Concepts: Values, Art & Drama, Whānau, Senses, School Life, Machines & Vehicles, Weather, Food & Recipes, Life Experience.
  • eBook Editions for all titles
  • Teacher Tool: Akoranga PDF available online for all titles in both te reo Māori and English (Currently in production)
  • Extension Activity:  Papamahi PDF available online for all titles in both te reo Māori and English



Kōwhai


Available Now! 

  • 8 Kōrero Paki Titles Available now
  •  8 Kōrero Pono Titles Available now
  • Adapted from a selection of Red Rocket Readers Early Level 2 | Yellow titles.
  • Themes/Concepts: Age, Animals, Construction, Colours, Counting, Jobs, Machines & Vehicles, Nature, Senses, Seasons, Weather, Whānau.
  • eBook Editions for all titles
  • Teacher Tool: Akoranga PDF available online for all titles in both te reo Māori and English (Currently in production)
  • Extension Activity:  Papamahi PDF available online for all titles in both te reo Māori and English



Kikorangi 

We’re doing the mahi!
16 new titles due for publication 2024.


  • 8 Kōrero Paki  Titles (Currently in production)
  •  8 Kōrero Pono  Titles (Currently in production)
  • Adapted from a selection of Red Rocket Readers Early Level 3 | Blue titles
  • Themes/Concepts: TBC.
  • eBook Editions for all titles (Currently in production)
  • Teacher Tool: Akoranga PDF available online for all titles in both te reo Māori and English (Currently in production)
  • Extension Activity:  Papamahi PDF available online for all titles in both te reo Māori and English (Currently in production)







Kākāriki

Thinking about doing the mahi. Due for publication late 2024.





Tiare Dickson

Ko Mauao me Putauaki oku maunga Ko Tauranga te Moana Ko Mataatua te waka Ko Ngai Te Rangi me Ngati Awa oku iwi Ko Ngai Tukairangi me Te Patuwai oku hapu Ko Ngawiki Dickson raua ko Paul Ensor oku matua Ko Tiare Lee Dickson ahau Tihei Mauri Ora.

Born and raised in Tauranga Moana I am a multi-medium artist who uses ta moko, painting, woodwork and digital art to express my creativity and culture. My iwi are Ngai Te Rangi and Ngati Awa.

A fluent speaker of Te Reo Maori, I attended Kohanga Reo as a pre-schooler before moving to mainstream schooling at Omanu Primary school, then returning to kura-a-Iwi at Te Kura o Matapihi, then finally Tauranga Boys College. In terms of tertiary study I completed a bachelor of Maori visual arts at contemporary Maori art school Toihoukura in Gisborne in 2015-2017, and a post-grad honours degree in creative practice in 2017-2018 and a Masters of professional creative practice in 2018-2019.

I have been a practicing taa moko artist going on 5 years now and going to Toihoukura broadened my variety of mediums to working with wood, paints and digital design. Strong themes that I use in my art are my environment, taiao, stories from home, puurakau and Maori customs.

I was raised on my papa kainga or ancestral lands of Matapihi and Motiti Island, with a close affinity to, and full support from, my whanau, marae, hapu, and iwi.

In 2018, I worked as a kaiawhina or teacher aide, at total immersion Maori intermediate and high school, Te Wharekura o Mauao, where I assisted the students with their reading and writing, and also in the art department.



Tiare is the Grandson of Red Rocket Readers series creator, Pam Holden, and the inspiration for Charlie, a popular character in Pam’s stories that are often based on true events, such as the sinking of the Rena near Motiti Island and the rescue of bird life afterward.

Tiare is also an illustrator for two Red Rocket Reader titles, Balloons Fly By and Hot Air Balloons.


Made of New Zealand


Red Rocket Readers are 100% New Zealand made:

  • Created, designed and owned by New Zealanders, Flying Start Books has been leading in literacy for 20 years
  • Grounded in the pedagogy of the New Zealand approach to literacy which also gave rise to small-group Guided Reading, Reading Recovery, and the “Big Book” format used for shared reading


New Zealand Education – Excellence through Innovation

  • The Big Book used for shared reading
  • The small book (8 and 16-page) used for small group reading
  • Reading Recovery – developed by Dame Marie Clay and her team
  • The Te Kohanga Reo movement developed for the preservation of New Zealand’s indigenous language and culture
  •  Award-winning digital resources
  • Resources for disaster recovery 

(Visit the Publishers Association of NZ website to learn more.)








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You can confirm Red Rocket Readers is licensed by entering the unique Licence number underneath the FernMark via www.newzealand.com and check to make sure you’re buying authentic New Zealand products.