The BIG BOIL-UP•

Te Kai Kōhua nui

By Angie Belcher

Published by Scholastic NZ

A joyful celebration of kai, connection, and whanau. Her recipe is not written, but passed on down the line throughout the generations – and now the time is mine! Join Bubba and Mum as they prepare a boil-up that brings the whole whanau together. From hunting and gathering to simmering and sharing, The Big Boil-Up is a heartwarming story of tradition, family, and aroha.

32 pages, colour // Soft cover Purchase here

Available in English and Te Reo Māori

A simple black and white drawing of a pair of earbuds connected by a cord. The earbuds are on each end, and the cord loops in the middle.

“Zak Ātea's incredible artwork brings the feast to life. Her illustrations are vibrant and evocative, packed with detail. Māori design flows through the pages and it's clear Ātea has some fond memories of boil-up with every page a love letter to the meal.”

— Rebekah Lyell, NZ Booklovers

A colorful illustration of a woman and a girl outside a house surrounded by lush greenery, with a puppy nearby. The woman is carrying a basket of groceries and is smiling as she goes inside the house. The girl is walking barefoot on the grass, with h

Illustration of an elderly woman with white hair and earrings, holding a bunch of plants. A large, stylized plant with leaves and flowers extends from her hand into the sky. In the background, there are children and an adult planting or gardening tog

Illustration of a collection of dishes, a kettle, and utensils with steam rising, suggesting a meal or food prep scene.

A colorful, whimsical illustration with a large, empty, water-themed space in the center, surrounded by images of vegetables, fruits, a woman cooking at a kitchen counter, a girl, a dog, and an animated girl diving into the water, all interconnected

An abstract, colorful digital illustration of a bowl of ramen with steam rising, surrounded by vibrant floral patterns and a person with short, wavy hair on the right side.

Book cover titled 'The Dream Factory' illustrated with a colorful fantasy landscape, including a mountain, a city, and a swirling sky with various whimsical creatures and patterns.

The dream factorY •
Te Wheketere MoemoeĀ

By Steph Matuku

Published by Huia Publishers

An amazing building rises on the edge of town – it’s the dream factory. Every night, it sends out magical mist. Flying cars, flower cakes and talking tigers fill people’s dreams. And the next day, the people make those dreams come true. But when a kererū flies into the dream factory, and a feather floats into a cog, everything goes terribly wrong.

32 pages, colour // Soft cover // Readers 5-8 yrs // Purchase here

Available in English and Te Reo Māori

Black and white sketch of a pair of earbuds connected by a wire.

“Illustrations that satisfy your eye and enhance the story. Zak Ātea’s terrific artwork does exactly that. She uses a sublime combination of a mood-rich, colour palette and fascinating detail – an exquisite mix.”

— Paula Green, Poetry Box.

“What happens to the dreamers when the source of their fantastic nightly visions, the dream factory, breaks down? With their deep blues and glowing pinks, Zak Ātea’s whimsical and gorgeous illustrations work in glorious harmony with Steph Matuku’s words to invite readers into a magical world packed with lush visual detail.”

— NZYCA, Book Awards Trust.

Finalist Russel Clarke Award for Illustration, NZ Book Awards for Children & Young Adults
2024, The Dream Factory
PANZ Scholastic NZ award for best childrens’ book 2025 - The Dream Factory

A brightly colored, fantasy-style landscape featuring a tall, whimsical tower with butterfly motifs, surrounded by lush trees, rolling hills, and a colorful sky with clouds and birds.

Colorful illustration of a girl in a cityscape at night, talking to a girl through a window, with glowing plants and buildings in the background.

Close-up of a digital tablet displaying a colorful animated illustration featuring a girl with a flower in her hair sleeping with a green pacifier, surrounded by vibrant abstract shapes.

Colorful illustration of children and characters at a fair or carnival, with a ship and people riding and playing outdoors.

Colorful illustration of a dragon and two birds inside a vibrant, animated scene with bright pink, purple, blue, and green tones, resembling a fantasy or storybook setting.

A colorful, animated illustration of a serene mountain landscape at sunrise with a village in the foreground surrounded by trees and a winding river.

Colorful book cover titled 'The Dream Factory' by Steph Matuku, illustrated by Zak Átea, featuring an imaginative landscape with a connected city, mountains, and a vivid sky filled with fantasy creatures and swirling clouds.

Night scene with a colorful rocket flying over a village, mountains, and a river, with a crescent moon and stars in the sky.

An origami paper sculpture made from reflective, mirror-like paper, situated on green grass.

I Te Ao, I Te Pō

Collaboration with Twelve

Self Published

Issue 10: In Light and Darkness

‘I Te Ao, I Te Pō, In Light and Darkness’ is a sculptural illustrated retelling of the Māori creation story of Papatūānuku (the earth mother) and Ranginui (the sky father). Encased with karakia, we are reminded to give thanks to the world we inhabit, the sacrifices Papa and Rangi made so that our could be born, and how one cannot have light without darkness.

Colourfield Snow White 135 & 250 gsm // Hard cover // Flag bound//

A printed page with a poetic text surrounded by a floral design, and a separate illustration of a woman's face with floral elements. The poetic text describes a natural scene with birds, the sky, the sun, and emotional symbols like tears and mist, en

Colorful mural featuring swirling white patterns, trees with twisting branches, a blue butterfly, and a lion's face surrounded by foliage.

View of two overlapping paintings; the left is a colorful outdoor scene with trees, flowers, and waterfowl, and the right is a darker, atmospheric scene with clouds, stars, and abstract lines.

Two books with light-colored covers standing upright against a dark background with an image of Earth from space and a rainbow in the sky.

Person holding a colorful, illustrated book or card with various ocean and sky scenes, in a green grassy outdoor setting.

Open book with text in a foreign language lying on green grass with shadows of grass blades on the page.

Close-up of an intricate black and teal paper sculpture with swirling white patterns, outdoors amidst green grass.

A black notebook with the word 'INDUSTRY' written on the cover in bold, stylized letters illuminated by neon blue and pink lighting, with decorative swirling lines and circular accents around the text.

INTUIT

Self published

Intuit' is a graphic novel/artist book that explores the expansive and powerful mechanism of a human's intuitive sense. Through illustration, the phenomenon that is intuition is thrust into a tangible light as we follow Isla on a journey of self discovery, as she redefines the importance of intuition and the impact it can have in our everyday lives. The unseen is explored with UV light and inks, whimsical digital illustration, and back to front publication reading directions, as Isla discovers her greatest power lies within the confines of her own mind, body and soul.

96 pages, colour // 200 x 240 mm // Digital version here

A person flipping through a colorful illustrated book with abstract artwork, and the other images show festive confetti with swirling lines and dots.

Open illustrated book showing a scene with a moonlit landscape and dialogue bubbles on the left page, and a blue scene with a floating figure and dialogue on the right page, on a white background.

A collage showing an artistic illustration of a pink and purple landscape with water, a comic book being flipped through with black and white illustrations, and a version of the comic glowing in blue neon light.

A girl with closed eyes, lying on her stomach with head resting on her arm, in a library. Swirling white and purple magical smoke above her, with text indicating she discovered a different reality upon maturity.

A three-panel comic strip shows a girl with long dark hair. The first panel depicts her with a sad expression, thinking 'well it had a face, much like her own...' The second panel shows her hand breaking through a shattered glass surface with glowing

Water falling into a deep blue pool, creating ripples and bubbles.

A girl is floating in a dark blue lake, thinking 'what just...'; in the second panel, she is looking at a mysterious landscape with a purple sky, trees, and glowing lights around a river, saying '...happen.'

A girl appears distressed in the first panel, holding her head with tears and sweat. In the second panel, she is sitting cross-legged on the ground, looking at a luminous, magical, and ethereal figure resembling a whale or similar creature, floating

A girl with long hair looking up at a floating, ethereal being with pastel-colored hair and a glowing, translucent body. The being says, 'I've always wanted you to see it, the way I do.' The girl responds, 'Intuition... I'm sorry for not listening...

An illustration of a person in a space setting releasing a glowing stream of energy or light into the sky, with a small inset showing a hand and a glowing orb with the word 'ok...' in a speech bubble.

A colorful abstract scene with glowing lights, squiggly lines, and undefined shapes, featuring a speech bubble that reads, 'Everything about a human mind is complex.'

A fantasy scene depicts a lush forest with tall trees at sunset. In the center, a large, mythical creature with a body made of intertwined, swirling wood and glowing golden accents stands beside a woman dressed in flowing purple robes. The creature has an enormous, rounded head with swirling patterns, large claws, and wispy hair that appears to be made of light. The woman looks up at the creature with awe, holding a small object. Soft, glowing lines emit from the creature's head, adding a magical glow to the scene.

The whale

Written by Witi Ihimaera

Adapted from Witi Ihimaera’s original story ‘The Whale’, this short sequential illustration tells the story of a Kaumātua reflecting on his life and his fading culture as tangata whenua Māori, as he approaches the end of his life. Bringing this story to life through digital illustration, publication and shifting of gender roles within the story to create a short, intimate retelling of the New Zealand authors best works.

12 pages, colour // 148 x 210

Illustration of a young girl dressed as a judge, sitting on a hay bale outside a house, with a red hen wearing a white wig in front of her. There is a dog, cat, and rat nearby, with a narrator sitting to the side eating a sandwich.

All rise

Written by Simon Cooke
Published by Lift Education E Tū

Featured in Lift Educations November 2022 edition of the School Journal for 10-11 year olds. Everyone knows the story of the Little Red Hen. Undervalued. Overworked. A feathery legend from down on the farm...with a twist.

7 pages, colour // 148 x 210 mm

A person with brown hair, wearing a blue jacket, holds a small white object, facing a red bird with a white scarf, in an outdoor setting with trees, a fence, and a cloudy sky.

A girl with a stern expression, crossed arms, and a blue coat leaning against a large haystack, surrounded by various animals including a black and white cat, two yellow ducklings, a blue dog, a gray mouse, and an orange rooster with a white crest, outside near a house.