Takatāpui in Children's Picture Books: An Exploratory Investigation of Māori Gender‐Diverse Concepts

Children's picture books have experienced a significant surge in gender‐diverse representations, reflecting broader societal shifts towards inclusivity. This trend, while progressive, appears to primarily focus on mainstream concepts (LGBTQI + identities), leaving gender‐diverse concepts deeply rooted in indigenous cultures in an inferior position. The research presented in this paper investigates the representation of Māori gender‐diverse concepts ( takatāpui identities) in children's picture books published in the 2010–2024 period. A descriptive research method was employed to analyse 211 purposively selected children's picture books held by New Zealand libraries that feature gender‐diverse themes. The findings revealed a significant increase in the quantity and complexity of LGBTQI + representation in children's picture books, with a notable shift towards comprehensive portrayals of gender diversity. However, there was a large underrepresentation of Māori takatāpui identities, with only two books featuring this concept. The research highlights a critical need for increased representation of Māori takatāpui identities in children's literature, calling for collaborative efforts among publishers, authors, educators, policymakers, and researchers to address this gap and promote cultural preservation, inclusivity, and positive identity formation for Māori takatāpui children, who do not see themselves as equally represented in such publications as their non‐Māori counterparts.