August 17, 2023
Atakohu Middleton | Radio Waatea reporter/Writer
Hiwa, a collection of contemporary Māori short stories is being released on Wednesday 9 August 2023. Hiwa, published by Auckland University Press, includes stories in English or te reo Māori of 27 writers including Witi Ihimaera, Patricia Grace, Alice Tawhai and our very own Atakohu Middleton, who writes in te reo Māori.
Nō Ngāti Māhanga a Atakohu and she has a long history in journalism here in Aotearoa and abroad, working for outlets like the New Zealand Herald, the New Zealand Listener and the Guardian in the UK. She is now a communications consultant and also works as a Māori-language reporter here at Radio Waatea.
She started writing short stories in 2017 to help extend her reo and has had several short stories published by Huia. One of her new stories, Te pō whakanui huritau, has been shortlisted for the Pikihuia Awards run by the Māori Literature Trust. Winners are announced on Saturday, 28 October 2023 in Wellington.