HUIA – About Us

Director

Eboni Waitere

Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne

Eboni came to HUIA hoping to create books in which her tamariki can see themselves reflected in the illustrations and stories. She is proud of the authors HUIA has supported and the positive contributions we have collectively made to the literary landscape of Aotearoa. Eboni loves contributing to Māori success and high performance, and she enjoys trading on the stock market – investment clubs are a hobby of hers. She’s also highly competitive; she and her whānau are a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court!

Director

Pania Tahau-Hodges

Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Whakatōhea

Pania spends her days at Huia Publishers working with amazingly talented and creative people, bringing storytellers’ stories to life. Initially drawn to HUIA because it was a Māori business – led by a Māori woman – with a fantastic kaupapa, Pania continues to be immensely proud of the work she does. Every time she sees a pukapuka we have published in the hands of a young person or kaumatua she is reminded of the hard work that goes into bringing each book to life. The knowledge that the work we are doing at HUIA is making a difference for our people is what gets her up and out of bed each day – that, and waka ama!

Programme Manager

Te Kani Price

Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Whakatōhea

On a daily basis, Te Kani assembles the ‘creative Avengers’ to transform the full gamut of our stories and ideas into tangible, award-winning products. To Te Kani, HUIA is a place where the people will entertain his strangest ideas, trusting in his intuition and creative brilliance. Te Kani loves the collaborative nature of HUIA – engaging in kōrero about the future with a plethora of intelligent individuals is one of his favourite parts of his mahi. Te Kani’s determination thrives on the netball court, as much as he thrives on coffee and eclectic food.

Editor

Betty Davis

Pākehā

You will find Betty editing English language text and making sure there is nothing to distract away from the author’s vision. The books and the kaupapa, via the Whitireia Publishing course, brought Betty to HUIA, and she is proud to be contributing to the literary landscape of Aotearoa. On her non-work days, Betty is happiest tramping deep in the Tararua Ranges.

Publishing Editor

Bryony Walker

Pākehā

Bryony is our in-house English-language editor; she ensures our books meet the high standards we set for ourselves and helps authors’ visions come to life. The thought that someone somewhere is picking up one of our books and learning something new, having a chuckle or being inspired is the driving force behind Bryony’s work. She enjoys the idea that HUIA books can introduce readers to new worlds and experiences. Outside work, she also enjoys baking and being able to gift friends and whānau delicious treats.

Content Development Manager

Christine Brooks

Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi

Having worked as a secondary school teacher, Christine was used to making her own resources for her ākonga. Working at HUIA has offered Christine a window into the resource development process and provided insight into HUIA’s quality assurance services. In her role, Christine works with iwi across Aotearoa to develop and publish their own authentic iwi narratives, written from their own perspectives and illustrated in a manner that honours both the storyteller and the story. Knowing that HUIA’s collective efforts will aid in strengthening Māori literacy across Aotearoa is something she is incredibly proud of … but she will always be most proud of being a nanny.

Sales and Marketing Assistant

Jennifer Hussey

Ngāti Porou

Jen works in our sales and marketing team curating our social media, promoting our books and communicating with our customers. She has always been involved in the Māori creative arts sector and is endlessly proud to be a part of the kaupapa that comes out of HUIA. Knowing the genius and hard work that is put into every book HUIA creates, and all of the layers involved in creation, makes Jen proud to be part of our awesome sales team and excited for all the books we produce.

Project Coordinator

Jess Maindonald

Ngāti Raukawa

Jess spends her time working behind closed doors to keep everything, and everyone, moving in the right direction. Having completed a two-week placement at HUIA in 2021, Jess couldn’t stay away and quickly joined the team in early 2022. Being part of a team that spotlights Māori and indigenous voices is something she is proud to be a part of, and seeing all the talent that lands on our desks is super motivating. Outside work, Jess can almost always be found in the gym lifting weights.

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

Joshua Nia Nia

Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Motu o Tonga

Josh’s work centres around connecting people to what HUIA has to offer – providing people with a voice to tell their stories. Josh treats every day as a new opportunity to improve on what he has and build for what is to come. His Tongan grandmother – who migrated to Aotearoa on a banana boat – imparted the advice that life is a mystery, but everything happens for a reason. This attitude of improvement is particularly evident in Josh’s enthusiasm for marathons; since the pandemic began in 2020 Josh has completed numerous marathons and has a ritual of running 50 kilometres on 25 April every year!

Resource Developer

Kawata Teepa

Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Whakatōhea

Kawata is an author, translator and resource developer at HUIA. With all of these titles under his belt, Kawata works on everything from the conceptualisation of projects to translating picture books, writing blurbs and developing educational resources! After hearing about HUIA’s mahi through reputation and the kūmara vine, Kawata brought his passion for imparting his knowledge to the younger generations of tamariki to HUIA. He is also our resident singer, always leading our waiata and composing songs in his spare time.

Content Developer

Mairangimoana Te Angina

Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Apa

Mairangi was offered a position at HUIA right after she graduated from kura and has been here ever since. She is passionate about te reo Māori and passing on the language to younger generations of tamariki. The notion that she could spark someone’s interest in learning te reo Māori is a real driver behind the passion for her mahi, along with her intrinsic connection to her whānau and marae. Mairangimoana works predominantly on Māori language resources for children in kura ako reo Māori and is proud of being part of the HUIA legacy. On her journey to becoming a resource developer, she continues to extend her expertise and gain priceless knowledge along the way.

Senior Graphic Designer

Sarah-Louise Crawford

Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngai Tūhoe

Sarah-Louise is a crucial part of the creative engine that produces visual content for HUIA projects. Her journey to HUIA combines a degree in Visual Communication Design at Massey with growing her reo and knowledge of tikanga Māori. She’s always asked herself, “how can I use my skills to champion all things Māori?” Being a long-time fan of HUIA books moving to HUIA was a no-brainer. Sarah-Louise is also a DIY queen who loves nothing better than upcycling, re-using and crafting beautiful things.

Senior Editor

Simon Minto

Pākehā

Simon is an English-language editor at HUIA, where he works his magic on text, making it sing for the reader. Passionate about high-quality books that resonate with our times, Simon was drawn to HUIA. Simon has earned a reputation for being a kind, good-hearted and helpful person. Students and others who have worked with him appreciate his patience and unwavering support. When Simon’s not finessing text, he is pursuing his love of photography. He believes that a well-crafted photograph can evoke unexpected emotions. Simon's calm demeanour and keen eye for detail make him a wonderful colleague and a valued member of our editing team.

Visual Designer, Illustrator

Tahlia Conrad-Hinga

Ngāi Te Rangi, Kāi Tahu

Tahlia is an illustrator and designer – she can most often be found behind piles of paper, sketchbooks and sticky notes, or carving up a digital storm of colour, line and form on her Ipad. With a background in human-centred design, she is always looking to use her creativity to realise social change. Vibrant, empathetic, and with a mean sweet-tooth, Tahlia is driven to tell the stories of our people, especially stories the younger version of her would’ve loved.

Content Development Assistant

Tairoki Tahau-Hodges

Ngāti Tūtemohuta, Ngāi Tūhoe

With his upbringing and whakapapa the driving force behind his mahi, Tairoki was drawn to HUIA’s creative and dynamic nature. Tairoki is passionate about the work HUIA does to spotlight Māori artists, with time acting as a driving factor behind all of his hard work – he just can’t find enough of it! Tairoki brings a lively, spirited energy to Huia Publishers; he’s always cracking jokes and making us laugh.

Project Coordinator

Te Wai-a-Tauranga Nuku

Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto

Te Waia brings with her, as a kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa Māori graduate, a greater understanding of the importance of representation and the sense of belonging it can bring to tamariki. As one of the project coordinators at HUIA, her passion and pride in working on resources for the next generation of kura kauapa Māori graduates shines through in every project Te Waia works on.

Marketing and Publicity Assistant

Trinity Thompson-Browne

Ngāti Kahungunu, Muaūpoko

At HUIA, Trinity works hard to put more Māori books into more hands. Passionate about story sovereignty and Indigenous-led publishing, Trinity’s support of the Māori writers’ community extends beyond HUIA, whether it’s curating writers’ festivals together with their partner or dreaming of taking Māori stories to the world. Trinity is always connecting the dots, asking the questions you didn’t even know you needed the answers to.

Office Administrator

Zachary Hullah

Ngāti Kahungunu

Zachary’s is the first smile any visitor to HUIA will encounter. He ensures everyone feels welcome and that the daily needs of the office are met with ease. It was the pull of a family environment and the chance to connect with his culture and whakapapa that led him to HUIA. Zachary is known for his kind-hearted nature, laid-back demeanour and infectious sense of humour. His drive to take each day as a new opportunity for growth and improvement is an invaluable asset to the team. While excelling in his administrative role, Zachary’s proudest achievement lies in his musical pursuits. Making music has always been a goal of his, and in 2023 he released his music on a label.

We hone ideas and produce award-winning books. We create and design stories and resources that connect with our whakapapa and are centred in te ao Māori and Māori worldviews.

Storytelling

Te ao Māori

Production

Advocates

Committed

Purposeful

Te whānau o HUIA

Director

Eboni Waitere

Director

Pania Tahau-Hodges

Programme Manager

Te Kani Price

Editor

Betty Davis

Publishing Editor

Bryony Walker

Content Development Manager

Christine Brooks

Sales and Marketing Assistant

Jennifer Hussey

Project Coordinator

Jess Maindonald

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

Joshua Nia Nia

Resource Developer

Kawata Teepa

Content Developer

Mairangimoana Te Angina

Senior Graphic Designer

Sarah-Louise Crawford

Senior Editor

Simon Minto

Visual Designer, Illustrator

Tahlia Conrad-Hinga

Content Development Assistant

Tairoki Tahau-Hodges

Project Coordinator

Te Wai-a-Tauranga Nuku

Marketing and Publicity Assistant

Trinity Thompson-Browne

Office Administrator

Zachary Hullah

Our translators

Licensed Translator

Brian Morris

Licensed Translator

Kanapu Rangitauira

Licensed Translator

Kawata Teepa

Licensed Translator

Maiki Sherman

Eboni Waitere

Pania Tahau-Hodges

Te Kani Price

Betty Davis

Bryony Walker

Christine Brooks

Jennifer Hussey

Jess Maindonald

Joshua Nia Nia

Kawata Teepa

Mairangimoana Te Angina

Sarah-Louise Crawford

Simon Minto

Tahlia Conrad-Hinga

Tairoki Tahau-Hodges

Te Wai-a-Tauranga Nuku

Trinity Thompson-Browne

Zachary Hullah

Brian Morris

Kanapu Rangitauira

Kawata Teepa

Maiki Sherman