Michelle Elvy is a writer, editor, writing tutor and mentor. She is founding editor of the literary journal Flash Frontier: An adventure in short fiction and Aotearoa New Zealand's National Flash Fiction Day, and managing editor of the international Best Small Fictions series. Her anthologies include, most recently, Ko Aotearoa Tatou | We Are New Zealand, A Kind of Shelter Whakaruru-taha and Te Moana o Reo | Ocean of Languages. She is the author of the everrumble and the other side of better, both with Ad Hoc Fiction.

Kiri Piahana-Wong (Ngati Ranginui) is a poet and editor, and she is the publisher at Anahera Press. Anahera has worked to uplift and promote toikupu by kaituhi Maori since 2011, and the press has also published Pasifika/Moana poets. Kiri is the author of two full-length poetry collections of her own, Night Swimming (2013) and Tidelines (2024), both published by Anahera Press. She is co-editor of the Maori literature anthology Te Awa o Kupu (Penguin Random House, 2023). Kiri lives in Whanganui.

Introduction | He kupu whakataki 12
Stories | Korero
01 Airini Beautrais
Self-loathing woman with snow | Wahine wetiweti ki ro hukarere 20
02 Alex Reece Abbott
Crew | Kahui 22
03 Alison Glenny
Feather/bone/cloud | Huruhuru/koiwi/kapua 24
04 Andrea Hotere
Moving day | Te ra hunuku 26
05 Angela Trolove
Blackberries | Nga parakipere 28
06 Anna Granger
Territories | Nga rohe 30
07 Anne Kennedy
Morning tea | Paramanawa 32
08 Anne Marie Basquin
Private acts | Mahi matatapu 34
09 Anton Blank
Red skirt | Panekoti whero 36
10 Apirana Taylor
The overtone following through the air | Te haunga e rere nei i te rangi 40
11 Ariana Tikao
Head red | Me w(h)ero te upoko 44
12 Arihia Latham
Hiwa hopes | Nga manako ki a Hiwa 46
13 Averil Robertson
Choices | He kowhiringa 48
14 Ben Brown
Bro story | Paki parata 52
15 Bill Manhire
Lyrical ballad | Waiata paki kupu 54
16 Briar Wood
According to Hina | Hei ta Hina 56
17 Cadence Chung
Carnal | Okiko 58
18 Cassie Hart
Huka Falls | Nga Wairere o Huka 60
19 Cilla McQueen
Span | Tipae 62
20 Claire Beynon
Coral arranging | Te whakarite kaoa 64
21 Claudia Jardine
A gift to their daughters | He oha ki a ratou tamahine 66
22 David Eggleton
Perfume | Whakakakara 68
23 Diane Brown
From the roof of my doll's house | Mai i te tuanui o taku whare tare 70
24 Emma Barnes
The crowd | Te minenga 72
25 Emma Neale
Frere Jacques | Frere Jacques 74
26 Emma Timpany
Remains | Nga toenga 76
27 Erik Kennedy
Self-affirming mantra | Tauaki whakatau i a tamaroto 78
28 Gail Ingram
Dendrites | Nga peka roro 80
29 Grace Yee
Duty | Haepapa 82
30 Hana Tuwhare
Quad bike or grass? | Wha wira patiti ranei? 84
31 Harry Ricketts
In the Karori supermarket | Ki ro hokomaha i Karori 86
32 Hayden Pyke
Long white coats | Nga koti ma e roa ana 88
33 Heather McQuillan
The weeping woman (Exhibit: TAL5662) | Te wahine tangi hotuhotu (Whakaaturanga: TAL5662) 92
34 Helen Rickerby
A story about kindness | He korero mo te atawhai 94
35 Himali McInnes
Marama's basket of kumara | Te kete kumara a Marama 96
36 Hinemoana Baker
The choir | Te koaea 98
37 Ian Hosford, with Roger Whenuaroa
The photograph | Te whakaahua 100
38 Iona Winter
Torea | Torea 102
39 Isla Huia
The moon | Te atarau 104
40 James Norcliffe
A day like no other | He rangi inati 106
41 Jessica Hinerangi
Horse girls | Kohine hoiho 108
42 Jordan Hamel
The day the dad jokes died | Te ra i nunumi ai nga paki papa 112
43 Justine Waterson
The girl in the garden of eyes | Te kotiro i te mara o nga whatu 114
44 Karlo Mila
Touch in the age of Covid | Te pa a-tinana i tenei wa o te Kowheori 116
45 Kay McKenzie Cooke
Clocks turned back | Te hoki whakamuri nga karaka 118
46 Khadro Mohamed
20 daughters of the east | Nga tamahine 20 no te rawhiti 120
47 Kim Te Rangiaonui Logan
Watching | E mataki ana 122
48 Kiri Piahana-Wong
Tappa | Tappa 124
49 Kirstie McKinnon
Pussy willow | Puhi wirou 126
50 Lee Murray
Fox | Pokiha 128
51 Linda Collins
In the field | Kei roto i te whira 130
52 Linda Jane Keegan
The Buddha in my window | Ko Buddha kei taku matapihi 132
53 Lola Elvy
Drought | Tauraki 134
54 Lynley Edmeades
Nothing there | Kare he aha i reira 136
55 Lynn Jenner
On joy and other obligations | Mo te harikoa me etahi atu herenga 138
56 Madeleine Slavick
Kahu | Kahu 140
57 Margaret Moores
Moon landing | Te tauranga marama 142
58 Melanie Harding-Shaw
Indenture is a nervous system | He punaha ioio te hononga 146
59 Mereana Latimer
By starlight, the garden | I te aho whetu, te mara 148
60 Michele Leggott
They are out on the point | Kei te kurae ratou 150
61 Michelle Elvy
Tussock | Hinarepe 152
62 Michelle Rahurahu
The native species | Te momo maori 154
63 Mikaela Nyman
He corners you at the dairy, almost | Ka here ia i a koe i te toa, tata nei 156
64 Miriama Gemmell
Did you hand-wash the tea towels? | I horoi a-ringa koe i nga ti taora? 158
65 Moata McNamara
Nga wai | Nga wai 160
66 Mohamed Hassan
When they ask you where you are really from | Kia ui atu no hea tuturu koe 162
67 Nina Mingya Powles
April kowhai | Paengawhawha kowhai 166
68 Nod Ghosh
My mother had a stone | He toka ta toku mama 170
69 Owen Marshall
Back to the Wekaweka | Te hoki ki Wekaweka 174
70 Patrick Pink
Taking my boyfriend to his tangihanga |
Te kawe i taku hoa tane ki tana tangihanga 176
71 Paula Morris
Spring | Koanga 178
72 Philippa Werry
24-hour daylight | He awatea 24 haora 180
73 Rachel O'Neill
Closer and closer | E whakatata haere ana 182
74 Rachel Smith
The tender box | Te pouaka kai 184
75 Rebecca Styles
The pineapple park | Te paka painaporo 186
76 Renee Liang
Solar | Komaru 188
77 Robert Sullivan
Pupurangi Shelley | Pupu rangi Shelley 190
78 Rose Collins
Once you had gone | No to wehenga 192
79 Ruby Solly
Pounamu kei roto i te awa | Pounamu kei roto i te awa 196
80 S. J. Mannion
Everything that matters has already happened | Kua hua ke mai era e whaitake ana 198
81 Sarah Penwarden
Sleepwalking | Moeteki 200
82 Selina Tusitala Marsh
Frida, the believer | Frida, he wahine whakapono 202
83 Serie Barford
Endgame | Kemu whakamutunga 206
84 Siobhan Harvey
The gifted nephologist considered as a cloud | Te matanga takihi me he kapua 208
85 Steph Matuku
Generation brutal | Reanga whakawiri 210
86 Susan Wardell
Saprophytic | Mimiti paraumu 214
87 Tania Roxborogh
Searching | Rapurapu 216
88 Temaari Ngawati
Womb | Whare tangata 220
89 Tim Jones
Crossing the line | Whiti ana te rarangi 222
90 Tim Saunders
Shearing | Kutikuti hipi 224
91 Tina Makereti
funny little ugly baby | pepi nenene, pepi paku, pepi weriweri 226
92 Tracey Slaughter
The story where you're kept | He paki e mau nei koe 228
93 Tusiata Avia
This is a photo of my house | He whakaahua tenei o toku whare 230
94 Vana Manasiadis
When you land in Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Kia tau mai koe ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara 232
95 Vasanti Unka
Our mothers | O tatou koka 234
96 Vaughan Rapatahana
boil up | kohua kai 236
97 Vera Dong
Golden phoenix, grey hen | Manu tupua kura, pikaokao kiwikiwi 238
98 Vincent O'Sullivan
Delight | Harikoa 242
99 Vivienne Plumb
The moon | Te marama 244
100 Ya-Wen Ho
To inherit | He whakahekenga 246
About the contributors | Mo nga kaituhi 251
About the translators | Mo nga kaiwhakamaori 273
Previously published works | Nga tuhinga o mua 279
Acknowledgements | He whakamihi 285
About the editors | Mo nga kaitakata 287