Meet the author

Steph Matuku.

Writer · New Zealand · b. 1973

A Maori New Zealand author writing children onto the page, whose warm, whimsical The Dream Factory celebrates creativity and community as Tate's first book by a Maori writer.

Steph Matuku (Ngati Mutunga, Ngati Tama, Te Atiawa) is a New Zealand writer from Taranaki, born in 1973, who worked in radio for years before turning to fiction, and who writes to make sure Maori children see themselves on the page, something absent from the books of her own childhood. Her novels Flight of the Fantail and Whetu Toa and the Magician have been named Storylines Notable Books. The Dream Factory (2025), vibrantly illustrated by Zak Atea, is Tate Publishing's first book written by a Maori author and picturing Maori characters: a warm, whimsical fable about the factory that powers a town's imagination, and what happens when a kereru flutters into the works. A generous, thought-provoking read-aloud about creativity, community and the small sparks worth keeping alive.