Celebrating Wāhinetanga: Qiane Matata-Sipu Launches My First Ikura / Taku Ikura Tuatahi

Award-winning Māori and Pasifika storyteller Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua, Waikato, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao, Cook Islands) is proud to release her latest children’s book, My First Ikura, alongside its te reo Māori translation, Taku Ikura Tuatahi. The books will be available in bookstores nationwide from 1 November 2025.

This ground-breaking pukapuka is the first children’s book in Aotearoa to explore first menstruation through a Māori cultural lens. Tenderly written and richly illustrated, it reframes a young woman’s first ikura (period) as a sacred rite of passage, celebrating ceremony, whakapapa and wāhinetanga.

Illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu) and translated into te reo Māori by Stacey Morrison (Ngāi Tahu, Te Arawa), the book emphasises aroha, family support and ancestral wisdom. Readers will find a specially composed karakia for whānau to learn together, and illustrations created using kōkōwai (earth pigments) to honour the whenua.

“I am a mother of two girls and I want them, and all our daughters, to know that their bodies are sacred, their whakapapa is powerful and their first ikura is a moment to be honoured, not hidden,” says Matata-Sipu. “I want our children to have a different experience to what we and our mothers and grandmothers had, one that was often shrouded in ‘dirtiness’ and stigma.

“This book champions Māori cultural practices and tools for wellbeing, but it is for every family wanting to reclaim the beauty of this rite of passage.”

My First Ikura is both culturally affirming and education-friendly, supporting important conversations in homes, kura and classrooms about periods, wellbeing and identity.

“In writing this book I ensured it was peer-reviewed by puberty and health professionals, mothers, women, and of course, young girls,” Matata-Sipu adds. “I am also excited that Dignity NZ has partnered with me for the book’s launch, and in the lead up to Christmas we will be running a gifting campaign to Dignity’s community partners, ensuring this knowledge reaches all corners of our community.”

Dignity CEO Lisa Maathuis adds: “At Dignity, we believe no one should feel shame about something as natural as their first period. My First Ikura helps break the silence, creating space for aroha and pride instead of stigma. We are proud to support this incredible resource, normalising the conversation and moving us closer to true period equity in Aotearoa.”

With premium finishes, lush full-colour illustrations and hand-drawn cover typography by the book’s designer Chloē Reweti (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Porou), My First Ikura and Taku Ikura Tuatahi are destined to become treasured taonga for families across generations. //ENDS

About the Author

Qiane Matata-Sipu is a trailblazer, a storytelling leader and cultural disruptor based in Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland. Resonating deeply with modern readers seeking diverse voices and cultural wisdom, her books (and NUKU podcast) are more than stand alone titles; they’re part of a wider movement that promotes self-worth, community connection and a blueprint for thriving through Indigenous female knowledge. She wrote, photographed and first published NUKU: Stories of 100 Indigenous Women, shortlisted for the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, and her most recent children’s book Ngā Kupenga a Nanny Rina (published by Penguin) won a 2024 Storylines Notable Book Award (te reo Māori) and was shortlisted in the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Recognised for her powerful voice, Qiane’s leadership is rooted in a clear, personal purpose: to amplify the stories of marginalised people and change the narrative for future generations. For more information, visit www.Qiane.co.nz

About Dignity NZ

Founded in 2017, Dignity NZ is a champion for period equity and education, working to ensure that sustainable, organic and cotton period products are available to everyone who needs them, so no one misses out on work, education, sports or any other opportunity. Dignity has worked alongside hundreds of partners across Aotearoa on a ‘buy one, give one’ basis; for every product available in a workplace, the same number is gifted to a range of organisations, with more than 1.4 million distributed to those in need so far. For more information, visit www.dignitynz.com

Book Launch: Sat 1 November, 11am, Onehunga Community House - Auckland.

My First Ikura / Taku Ikura Tuatahi

Author: Qiane Matata-Sipu
Illustrator: Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
Translator: Stacey Morrison
Format: Hardcover, 32 pages, full colour, 255mm x 195mm
Publisher: Self-published by QIANE+co
Distributor: Bateman Books
RRP: $29.99 NZD
Release Date: 1 November 2025
ISBNs: 978-0-473-74869-2 (English), 978-0-473-74875-3 (Te reo Māori)

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