Ben Brown: Inaugural Te Awhi Rito
Ben Brown (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Koroki, Ngāti Paoa) was the inaugural Te Awhi Rito New Zealand Reading Ambassador from May 2021 to May 2023. He writes children's books, non-fiction, poetry and short stories for children and adults.
About Ben Brown
The inaugural Reading Ambassador (May 2021 to May 2023) was writer Ben Brown. Ben (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Koroki, Ngāti Paoa) writes children's books, non-fiction, poetry and short stories for children and adults.
Born in Motueka (1962), the father of 2 has been a tobacco farm labourer, tractor driver and market gardener. Since 1992, he has been a publisher and writer, collaborating with the illustrator, Helen Taylor, in most of his 17 publications. Ben is a regular in the Read NZ Te Pou Muramura's Writers in Schools programme.
Many of Brown's books have a strong New Zealand nature background. Brown and Taylor were short-listed in 2005 for the Te Kura Pounamu Award in the LIANZA Children's Book Awards for Nga Raukura Rima Tekau Ma Rima, the te reo edition of Fifty-Five Feathers. The English edition was also shortlisted for the Russell Clark Award in 2005. He was awarded the Māori Writer’s Residency at the Michael King Writers’ Centre for 2011.
In 2020, Brown presented the annual Read NZ Te Pou Muramura Pānui (lecture) titled ‘If Nobody Listens Then No One Will Know’, which received widespread acclaim. His pānui affirms the vital importance of writing, reading and knowing each other through our stories and explores the complex concept of youth justice in Aotearoa.
In early 2020, Brown taught a writing workshop at Te Puna Wai ō Tuhinapo, the Oranga Tamariki Youth Justice Residence facility at Rolleston near Christchurch. The workshop was part of Writers in Youth Justice, a Read NZ Te Pou Muramura Writers in Communities programme. This workshop resulted in an anthology of poetry by the YPs (Young People) who took part titled How the F* Did I Get Here, edited by Brown.
Ben’s blog posts and videos
Ben Brown — Te pānui o Te Awhi Rito: Te hā, te kupu, te kōrero — at an event on 2 December 2022 at the National Library in Wellington, Ben reflected on his time as Te Awhi Rito New Zealand Reading Ambassador.
Community and Te Awhi Rito supporting ‘rito’ to engage with reading — a video where Ben talks about the metaphor of Te Awhi Rito, the role of nurturing and inspiring the ‘rito’ — the young shoot, the children of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Libraries: Embassies of reading — in this video, Ben talks about libraries — ‘embassies of reading’.
Tūranga and the value of public libraries — a video where Ben introduces Tūranga (Christchurch Central Library) and talks about the value public libraries provide.
A summertime story — for school students, summer is a long holiday season. Fun in the sun. 6 weeks downtime from the books with the potential for a ‘summer slide’ in reading engagement.
When I was a boy — Ben talks about Joe Doyle, a storyteller who introduced him to the ‘majesty and magic of words’.
The library is on Pā Street — Ben reflects on his first encounter with the Motueka Public Library when he was 10 and the vital role of public libraries in communities.
Once upon a time there was a story — Ben muses on Matariki and the universality of origin stories, which define our beginning and help us make sense of the things around us.
Tauparapara o Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador — listen to Ben Brown’s tauparapara.
Ben in the media
Interviews with and about Te Awhi Rito Ben Brown in the media:
Kōrero: Vaughan Rapatahana and Ben Brown | Flash Frontier — 2023
Interviews with Ben Brown — a curation of media mentions in 2021 and 2022
Ben Brown: Making Stories — Ben was filmed for a short Stuff documentary about his writing and his role as Te Awhi Rito.