| Lino Nelisi | |
| Birth Place: | Avatele, Niue |
| Nationality: | New Zealander |
| Alma Mater: | University of Auckland |
Lino Nelisi (born 1952) is a Niuean-born New Zealand author and educator.
Nelisi was born in 1952 in Avatele, Niue. Her father Ugamea Levi was from Avatele, and mother, Peko, was Samoan.[1]
Nelisi was the first Pacific Island student to graduate with a master's degree in education (Pasifika Education) from the University of Auckland Epsom Campus.
Nelisi is a Niue language and culture expert. She began taught in Niue between 1970 and 1977, and in Auckland from the late 1980s.
Nelisi has published in several Pacific languages, including in English, Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Niuean, Tokelauan, Cook Island Māori and Spanish.
In 2015, Nelisi was the writer in residence at St Joseph's School, Otahuhu.[2]
She has published a number of books for children including:
In the AIM Children's Book Awards, O le talo Sione (1993) was a finalist in 1993 and Fishing with Spiderwebs was a finalist in 1995.[3] Tāne te whetū o te rā (and its English translation Tane steals the show) was a finalist in the Picture Book category at the 1998 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.[4]