The first personal finance novel by a Māori author was published this week, and its official launch event will be held in Ōpōtiki on Monday.

Māori Millionaire: A beginner’s guide to building better money habits was written by Te Kahukura Boynton with the intention of making financial literacy accessible.

Boynton, 21, describes the book as a deeply personal and empowering guide to healing financial trauma, building better habits, and reclaiming abundance – especially for Māori and those excluded from traditional wealth spaces.

The online financial education platform, Māori Millionaire, was founded by Boynton after she encountered money struggles in university, having dropped out of high school and facing delays in receiving her student allowance or securing a job.

“I spent a lot of my first semester worrying about money.”

She said she realised then just how much money impacted every area of her life, including her health and relationships.

She knew she wasn’t alone, but she struggled to find support online.

“When I looked online to find people I could relate to, people who were on the same journey as me, I couldn’t find anyone that I truly resonated with,” she said.

“So, I decided to start Māori Millionaire to track my journey of one day becoming a millionaire.”

Māori Millionaire now has an audience of 63,000 across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

Boynton said healing her bad money habits became a holistic journey of improving her health, overcoming a drug addiction and transforming her life in many ways.

Not long after she started Māori Millionaire, publishing company Penguin Books asked if she wanted to write a book.

“I have always been a reader, I have always loved books, and one of the things I found was there were no personal finance books with a Māori author,” Boynton said.

“I think that’s a huge problem, because it means that Māori don’t have any representation in that space.

“So, when I was offered the opportunity to be the first, I took it.”

The book tells Boynton’s personal story, combined with tangible steps people can take to improve their money habits.

Boynton said she spent a lot of time researching and interviewing people so she could create a resource that would support her community.

One thing she can promise is that readers will not need to consult a dictionary to understand it.

“That is very different to a lot of other personal finance books, which I find overcomplicate topics and terms. I’ve just made it very simple.”

“Money itself isn’t that complicated, in my opinion,” she said.

Nor does her book come across like a lecture on what to spend money on.

“I think a better focus for my community is how you can increase your income.

“Māori and Pacific Islanders, specifically, earn disproportionately less than most races in Aotearoa… it is important to not just look at cost-cutting but to look at the whole journey.

“Like improving your health will, in the long run, save you money, save you time and save you energy.”

Boynton said she had absolute beginners in mind when writing the book – those who had always wanted to be better with money but didn’t know what to do with what they earned, or those living paycheque to paycheque – like she was at the start of her journey.

“One of the key things in my book is looking at the small steps you can take to improve your finances.”

Māori Millionaire: A beginner’s guide to building better money habits hit the shelves on Tuesday and Boynton hosted an online event to celebrate.

But she chose Terere Marae in Ōtara to host the in person launch event because she saw it as a “beautiful opportunity” to bring something home.

Terere is Boynton’s marae and although she did not grow up there, she said it had always been a place she wanted to strengthen her relationship with.

“This book makes history. This is the first ever personal finance book with a Māori author, and I wanted to take that home to share it with my community.”

Following the launch, Boynton intends to go on a nationwide book tour so she can deliver the pukapuka (book) to communities that need it most.

Details of the tour are still being finalised, but Boynton said she was working with iwi and other organisations to make the events accessible.

“I don’t want them to be traditional, boring events. I want them to be fun, I want them to be captivating, I want them to be an experience that people walk away from thinking ‘I want to change my life’.

“One of the opening topics I talk about in the book is that you could read absolutely every personal finance book, money book, and absolutely nothing in your life is going to change unless you take action from the knowledge you learn.

“People say that knowledge is power, but it’s actually knowledge plus actions that equals results.”

Māori Millionaire can be purchased from Paper Plus stores across the country, including Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne.