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."

In this powerful novel for teenagers, 16-year-old Jahnine is having to fend for herself amidst a series of family misfortunes, with her mother is in hospital battling cancer and her brother gone without a trace. Family legend has it that a patu taken during the Land Wars by her great-great-grandfather has left a curse on them. Determined to return the patu and lift the curse, Jahnine turns to a strange Maori boy, Andy, and follows him away from Auckland to try and put things right. Nothing turns out the way she imagines in this powerful, realistic novel from Tim Tipene.

Going to school is a misery for Sean. Whatever he does to avoid the school bully, Mark Thomas and his mates always catch up with him. Then the students join Warrior Kids, a programme that teaches leadership and self-control. So begins a journey for Mark and Sean that has a predictable outcome for one boy and a surprise for the other. Tim Tipene sensitively depicts the reality of bullying-and strategies to address it-for children on both sides of the problem.

"Warrior Kids" is a pioneering programme that over the past 17 years has empowered thousands of children across New Zealand, many of them from challenged backgrounds. Focusing on bringing out the warrior within, the programme draws upon Maori concepts of the warrior and Eastern martial arts in a non-aggressive way designed to instil confidence, respect and self-control, leading children to become masters of their lives. This book features the complete ten sessions of the in-school programme in a format that instructors can apply to their own work with young people.