Kura Toa

High-school student Haki needs to find the pounamu (a stone of great value to Maori people, often handed down over generations) that was stolen from him after a car crash by a mysterious old man who seems to know a lot about him. Haki’s search brings him into conflict with his family, his friends and his school. In the process he must confront his fears and find a way to answer the challenge to serve his people and his land, fight a taniwha (a powerful spirit being in Maori culture), and grow into a warrior.

Kura Toa: Warrior School is a perennial reader for junior classes in high schools and has just been adapted for the stage by Bay of Islands College, Northland.