“My Mum is collecting words. You see, a long time ago, lots of the words were left out or replaced. Slowly they were forgotten.”

Author Kimberley Ngareta Kearney (Ngāti Maniapoto, Tūhoe) shares her touching pukapuka The Lost Words where a mother reclaims te reo Māori for her family. Afterwards, tamariki and their adults are invited to take part in a playful game, learning everyday kupu they can use together beyond the Festival.

Illustrations © Taylor Terewai Tiave @by.terewai