Mat Tait
Mat Tait (born 1970) is a New Zealand author, illustrator, artist and cartoonist. His book Te Wehenga: The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Tait was a judge for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2025.
Mat Tait
- Name
- Mat Tait
- Born
- 1970
- Birthplace
- Christchurch, New Zealand
- Occupation
- illustrator · writer · comics artist
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Documentary summary
Mat Tait (born 1970) is a New Zealand author, illustrator, artist and cartoonist. His book Te Wehenga: The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Tait was a judge for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2025.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Tait's 2026 book Kupe and the Great Octopus of Muturangi was nominated for the Russell Clark Award for Illustration and the original te reo Māori version Kupe me te Wheke nui a Muturangi was nominated for the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award in the 2026 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mat Tait • Born — 1970 • Birthplace — Christchurch, New Zealand • Language — English • Genre — Cartoons, illustration • Website — mattait.com
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1970
Mat Tait born.
As writer and illustrator
• Te Wehenga: The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku (Allen & Unwin, 2022) • Kupe and the Great Octopus of Muturangi (Allen & Unwin, 2026)
As illustrator
• The Adventures of Tupaia by Courtney Sina Meredith (Allen & Unwin, 2019) • The Heading Dog who Split in Half: Legends and Tall Tales from New Zealand by Michael Brown (Potton & Burton, 2015)
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References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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