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Kotahitanga:
A collection of poems

kia atawhai — te huaketo o te aukati iwi 2020

kia atawhai ki ā koutou whānau
kia atawhai ki ā koutou whanaunga
kia atawhai ki ā koutou hoa
kia atawhai ki ā koutou kiritata
kia atawhai ki ā koutou hoamahi
kia atawhai ki ngā uakoao
kia atawhai ki ngā tangata o eru ata mātāwaka
kia atawhai ki ā koutou ano.

ka whakamatea te huaketo o te aukati iwi
ki te atawhai.

kia atawhai.

[be kind — the virus of racism 2020

be kind to your families
be kind to your relatives
be kind to your friends
be kind to your neighbours
be kind to your workmates
be kind to strangers
be kind to people of other ethnicities
be kind to yourselves.

kill the virus of racism
with kindness.

be kind.]

Vaughan Rapatahana (Te Ātiawa) is a poet, novelist, teacher, critic, translator and editor.

He is widely published across several genres in both his main languages Te Reo Māori and English.

Vaughan’s work has also been translated into Bahasa Malaysia, Italian, French, Mandarin.