17 Jun 2025

Poto: Spinning New Zealand microfiction in te reo Māori

From Nights, 9:25 pm on 17 June 2025

Poto / Short published by Massey University Press features 100 stories, some only taking up half a page, by 100 New Zealand writers.

They're written in English, but on the very next page, the same story is translated into te reo Māori, as a language learning tool.

It features bite-sized stories from some of New Zealand's literary luminaries, including Bill Manhire, Paula Morris and Owen Marshall.

Editors Michelle Elvy and Kiri Piahana-Wong join Emile Donovan to share what makes a great, short yarn. 

The cover of the book "POTO / SHORT". The subtitle reads "The big book of short stories / Iti te kupu, nui te korero."

Photo: Supplied