30 Jul 2026
As a kid growing up in Ōtaki, Tīhema Baker didn't just read stories. He rewrote them.
Armed with X-Men cards, Dragon Ball Z characters and a big imagination, he would draw his own superheroes before creating entirely new adventures for them.
"Eventually I thought, 'Actually, I could just make up my own characters,'" he laughs. That imagination has never left him.
Today, Tīhema is one of eight writers recognised in this year's New Voices of Aotearoa.
His latest novel, One Day a Taniwha, follows his acclaimed debut Turncoat. They explore very different worlds, but both begin in the same place.
Real life.
"My writing now is heavily inspired by my own experiences," he says.
Turncoat drew on his experiences as a Māori public servant. One Day a Taniwha was inspired by becoming a father, his own mental health journey, and the work he has done in mental health policy.
He realised there were experiences missing from the bookshelf. Not because they didn't exist. Because they weren't often being written about. Māori fathers. Māori public servants. Everyday Māori lives. "I saw a gap," he says.
"I wanted other people to understand those kinds of experiences."
For a long time, Tīhema says Māori literature has often been expected to tell one kind of story.
Stories about colonisation. Poverty. Violence. Those stories matter, he says, and they should continue to be told. "But they aren't the only stories we have."
"We can write anything."
"We've got people writing science fiction, romance, fantasy... we're storytellers, and we shouldn't be confined to any one genre."
That freedom excites him. So does the new generation of Māori writers beginning to emerge.
"We all kind of see each other around, we're in touch, we share our work and support each other.
"It feels cool to be part of that community."
While his novels tackle serious issues, Tīhema says his first hope is actually very simple.
"I just hope people feel something."
Whether that's joy, sadness or empathy, he believes that's why people read stories in the first place.
He also hopes Māori men see themselves in the pages. "I want them to know it's okay to be vulnerable."
"If my characters can be vulnerable, maybe that helps other tāne be vulnerable too."
Being recognised as one of this year's New Voices of Aotearoa has given him something every emerging writer values. Visibility.
"I'm just really grateful for the amplification - you just need people to discover your work." He says.
As for what's next, Tīhema laughs.
With two young tamariki, a new job, iwi commitments and a book launch just around the corner, time is in short supply.
The ideas are already there. Now he just has to find the time to write them.
Learn more about the 2026 New Voices of Aotearoa and this year's writers on the Coalition for Books website