New children's book makes history while breaking down period taboos

Author of My First Ikura Qiane Matata-Sipu (left) with Stacey Morrison (right) who translated the book into te reo Māori, at the book launch event in Onehunga

Qiane Matata-Sipu’s new children’s book My First Ikura and its te reo Māori translation Taku Ikura Tuatahi are redefining how families in Aotearoa talk about periods - and it's already resonating nationwide. The release has appeared on the bestseller chart for two weeks in a row, a milestone that speaks to the demand for the book's message.

Award-winning storyteller and Māngere local, Matata-Sipu says the idea came from her work with indigenous women, her experiences as a mother, and a desire to create a resource that could open up important conversations.

My First Ikura, which reached #9 on the Unity Books bestseller chart

“Sometimes we just need a resource to help spark those conversations or to help start those conversations or to help guide those conversations,” she says.

She soon realised she was covering ground few had tread before.

“There is a gap because this is the first book - and like how sad is that? I mean yes it’s great, but how long have periods been around? This is [the] first book about it for children in Aotearoa from a Te Ao Māori lens.”

That gap is even wider in te reo Māori.

“People are telling me all the time that if you think that’s hard to find resources in English, imagine trying to find them in te reo Māori.”

Book reading of My First Ikura and Taku Ikura Tuatahi at the book launch event, with Qiane Matata-Sipu (left) with Stacey Morrison (right)

The book blends mātauranga Māori and practical knowledge. 

“It’s a period and these are the products you use for your period,” she explains, while also highlighting cultural traditions, holistic wellbeing, and body literacy. Illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White used kokowai, a natural earth pigment, throughout the artwork.

“To have the earth actually in the pages of the book is just really powerful to me.”

Importantly, My First Ikura is not just for kōtiro [girls].

“On the cover it says for growing girls and their whānau. Because the idea is that it’s for everyone in the whānau … everyone has a role to play.”

The reo Māori version, translated by Stacey Morrison

While the book was printed offshore, its heart is firmly local.

“Everything else was done here in Māngere,” Matata-Sipu says.

“It just goes to show that we can do really cool things in our community … we’re a little powerhouse community that can be making big contributions, not just to our community but to Aotearoa and the world.”

Purchase your own copy from bookstores or www.nukuwomen.co.nz, or help donate My First Ikura books and period packs to kōtiro/girls who are in need by heading to www.dignitynz.com.