Visiting Author: Shilo Kino

Friday, 9th August 2024 at 9:30am

Green Bay High School was proud to host acclaimed New Zealand author, Shilo Kino, who visited our Young Writers Year 9 & 10 option classes to share her experiences as a writer and storyteller.

Shilo, of Ngāpuhi and Waikato-Tainui descent, is a journalist and award-winning author whose debut novel The Pōrangi Boy won the Young Adult Fiction Award at the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults - a moment she described as a dream come true.

Describing the book as one “born out of deep mamae but also with a hope that I could do something to influence, change, inform and empower,” Shilo wrote The Pōrangi Boy while struggling with her own identity. As this text is studied in many Year 9 English courses, it was especially meaningful for students to meet this impactful New Zealand author.

During the session, Shilo spoke about her creative journey, offered valuable insights into the writing and publishing process, and encouraged students to find and refine their own voices. Shilo shared practical strategies like stepping away from the page, reading widely, and trusting the process even in challenging moments.

In the spirit of the day, we acknowledge the power of language with the whakataukī: Mā te kōrero, ka mōhio; mā te mōhio, ka mārama; mā te mārama, ka matau; mā te matau, ka ora. Through discussion comes understanding; through understanding comes enlightenment; through enlightenment comes knowledge; through knowledge comes wellbeing.

Shilo Kino’s visit reminded us that writing is not just a skill, but a pathway to connection, identity, and transformation.