Lavinia Toka was born in Whangarei and joined the New Zealand Army when she was 18. She is based in Waiouru.
Biographical sources
- Te Ao Mārama: Contemporary Māori Writing for Children. Comp. and ed. Witi Ihimaera. Contributing ed. Haare Williams, Irihapeti Ramsden and D. S. Long. Vol. 4: Te Ara o Te Hau: The Path of the Wind. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 1994. 343.
Poetry
- "A Short Poem About Eels." Tikipunga. [Whangarei, N.Z.: Cross Cultural Community Involvement Programme, 1992]. Rpt. in Te Ao Mārama: Contemporary Māori Writing for Children. Comp. and ed. Witi Ihimaera. Contributing ed. Haare Williams, Irihapeti Ramsden and D. S. Long. Vol. 4: Te Ara o Te Hau: The Path of the Wind. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 1994. 33.
- A brief poem about the proliferation of eels and the poet’s enjoyment of eating them.