Brianne Te Paa (born 1984) is a New Zealand writer and schoolteacher. Her children's picture book Kua Whetà «rangitia A Koro (also published in English as How My Koro Became a Star) received the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for the best children's book in the MÃÂori language at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2023.
Te Paa was born and grew up in South Kaipara, where she attended Kaipara College. After high school, she completed a full immersion course in te reo MÃÂori. She has a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Auckland and a diploma in Te Pinakitanga ki Te Reo Kairangi from Te WÃÂnanga o Aotearoa.
She has been teaching te reo MÃÂori at Kaipara College since 2013, and is the school's deputy principal. She is part of the iwi (tribes) of NgÃÂti Kahu, Te Rarawa, NgÃÂti WhÃÂtua, Te Aitanga-a-MÃÂhaki and Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui.
Te Paa's children's book, Kua Whetà «rangitia A Koro, was published in 2022 by Huia Publishers and illustrated by Story Hemi-Morehouse. The book is about the love of a koro (grandfather) for his mokopuna (grandchildren) and features Matariki customs. She has said she was inspired to write the story after meeting Matariki expert Rangi MÃÂtÃÂmua and hearing him speak as part of her te reo language studies.
Kua Whetà «rangitia A Koro won the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for a children's book in te reo MÃÂori at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2023. The judge's comments said:
The book also received the 2022 Storylines Te Kahurangi KÃÂterina Te Heikà Âkà  Award for a te reo MÃÂori book. Te Paa has said she was honoured to receive the award named for te reo language activist KÃÂterina Mataira.
An English language translation was published under the title of How My Koro Became A Star, and shortlisted for the best picture book award at the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. It was also listed as a 2022 Storylines Notable Book. In 2023 it won the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Children's Book.
The Spinoff said that the book "tackles the concept of death in a beautiful way: gently framing the deeply personal within the great stories written in the sky".