Kōwhai Heart Books NZ

24/11/2025

Hi from Homai 🙌🏻🎨🖌🥳

11/11/2025

⛄️CHRISTMAS ART SESSIONS⛄️
Thank you to Manurewa Local Board for funding these painting sessions for our Manurewa schools!

These painting sessions run for an hour. They are guided, all materials provided, wellness based and amazing stress relief for our tamariki during school.

Please email [email protected] to book your class in ✨️

12/10/2025

One of the term 4 paintings 🖼 🎨🖌✨️

13/08/2025

https://wiritrust.co.nz/the-art-of-wellbeing/

💛💛💛

Wiri Licensing Trust is thrilled with all the community support behind its Jammies for June campaign aimed at keeping kids warm this winter.

06/08/2025

Term 3 painting is the 'RURU'
'Even in the darkest night, the Ruru can still see the light' ✨️

Manurewa schools are fully funded, thanks to the support of John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation and Wiri Licensing Trust 🌈

If you are not in Manurewa and would like a guided painting session please reach out to me at [email protected] 💛

06/08/2025

💛💛💛

How do we  help our kids when they are struggling internally and dont see anywhere they can turn to?

As a start, su!cide isn't something that kids in our community should even be worrying about.
The sad reality is that children under the age of 10 are now taking their lives into their own hands because so many feel they have nowhere to turn to.

But Monique at Kowhai Heart Books has been working hard in the last couple of years to change that.
Her personal story isn't mine to tell but it's wrapped up in this beautiful book, Arlo and the Orca.

Monique works across schools in Manurewa delivering the books message and engaging in expressing themselves and their feelings through art.
This is becoming an extremely important topic to engage with our children for and the programs rolled out across these schools are having an impact and making a difference.

There's no silver bullet that will solve this issue in our community but the work undertaken by Monique is a key place to start.

If you think your child's school needs to have Kowhai Heart Books engage with the rangatahi there, you can contact Monique on [email protected]

There are other books available but Kowhai Heart Books is Manurewa based and is a great place to start.

** if you or someone you know needs someone to talk to urgently, reach out here:

Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor

Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)

Youthline – free text 234, call 0800 376 633, webchat at youthline.co.nz, DM on Instagram , message on Whats App 09 886 56 96.

Samaritans – 0800 726 666

Su***de Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202 To talk to a trained counsellor about how you are feeling or to ask any questions

Anxiety NZ – 0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY)

Healthline – 0800 611 116 Health advice from professional healthcare providerser be

12/06/2025

The Kōwhai Heart Wellness workshops are going strong in Manurewa. A very heartfelt thank you to
Wiri Licensing Trust and John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation for your support
💛💛💛💛

02/03/2025

The kids and I had fun today at Matauri Bay 🐋💛

07/07/2024

Thank you to Okaihau Primary for having me this past week 🥰 I am from Okaihau and it was so good to be back. The teachers and students were so welcoming, check out this amazing video from room one 💛

11/06/2024

I thought it was about time to share my book again. I lost my dad Brett to su***de in 2009. For a long time, the feelings and emotions that went with losing him were locked away. It wasn't until I had my own boys and they started asking questions about their granddad, that I realized hiding my feelings away was not the right thing to do. But how do you explain su***de to a child when most adults can't speak about it?
I had an idea to write a children's book, discussing the feelings and emotions associated with su***de in a way that is not scary, but gentle. I used my own experience and turned it into something that families affected by su***de can use to communicate and understand. It is also great for when our big emotions hit. This is why Arlo and the Orca was created.
The storm will come - yes, but it will always pass and the sun will shine again.
💛 - Monique

If you want to purchase Arlo and the Orca, head to www.kowhaiheartbooks.co.nz