• Coalition for Books 2026 Hui series: We Are Better Together

    Posted on 29 July 2026

    The Coalition for Books presents its 2026 Professional Development Hui programme 2026 Book Sector Professional Development   FREE to Coalition members (and members of organisations with full Coalition membership) All others welcome at a small fee ·Includes a special symposium held over two part-days for children’s publishing professionals in support of Children’s Book Week ·Seven […]

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  • Kasi Valu named as 2026 Emerging Pasifika Writer in Residence 

    Posted on 29 July 2026

      Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) is delighted to announce the appointment of Kasi Valu as the Emerging Pasifika Writer in Residence for 2026. Kasi will use the residency to develop a collection of poems, spoken-word pieces, and short stories with the working title Frangipani Thorns.  Audiences may encounter historical reflections, social media discourse, political satire, community gossip, and […]

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  • Aotearoa New Zealand Book Industry Awards 2026 Winners’ Announcement

    Posted on 27 July 2026

      Schrödinger’s Books in Petone has won the NielsenIQ BookData Bookshop of the Year at the 2026 Aotearoa New Zealand Book Industry Awards for its skilful curation of books catering to diverse community interests and excellence in showcasing local and international authors in a year-long series of in-store events. The award was presented to the […]

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  • 2026 Lynley Dodd Children’s Writers Award to Claire Mabey

    Posted on 23 July 2026

    The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi is thrilled to announce the 2026 recipient of the Lynley Dodd Children’s Writers Award: Claire Mabey. Wellington-based author Claire is known for her richly imagined junior fiction and picture books, and for her wider contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand’s literary community. Her debut novel, The Raven’s Eye Runaways, is […]

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  • Votes surge for local authors and new books in Whitcoulls Top 100 2026 List

    Posted on 23 July 2026

    Whitcoulls reveal that 26 New Zealand writers have made this year’s Top 100 – the highest level of local representation in the list’s nearly 30-year history. The results also point to a major shift in readers’ tastes, with an unusually high number of new titles entering the list for the first time, suggesting Kiwi readers […]

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  • Election 2026 – WeCreate launch Manifesto

    Posted on 20 July 2026

    Jul 2026 As we get closer to the 2026 general election, WeCreate is actively engaging with all political parties to secure support for our priorities for the sector. In particular, we’re asking for a cross-government approach to developing and implementing a Creative Export Growth Plan. You can read the We Create election manifesto here

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  • The Taranaki Arts Festival Trust’s Winter literary events

    Posted on 9 July 2026

        The Taranaki Arts Festival Trust’s Winter events in Nga Motu/ New Plymouth have a way of leavening the spirit in the coldest and windiest of weather, especially in a ‘15-minute city ’where venues are never far away, ticket prices are reasonable and parking is no problem. In another event, Taranaki Taonga David Hill, Lauren Keenan and […]

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  • Janet Frame Prize for 2026 goes to Hinemoana Baker

    Posted on 9 July 2026

    The trustees of the Janet Frame Literary Trust are delighted to announce that the Janet Frame Prize for 2026, worth $10,000, goes to Wellingtonian Hinemoana Baker (Ngāti Tupaia ki Te Aro, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Te Āti Awa, Kāi Tahu, Germany, England). A celebrated poet, musician, performer and educator, Hinemoana Baker […]

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  • 2026 Winter Reading Guide

    Posted on 6 July 2026

    The Coalition For Books Winter Reading Guide is out, curating the best recent Aotearoa New Zealand fiction, non-fiction, young adult and children’s books.   Since 2022 the Coalition has worked with Aotearoa New Zealand publishers to promote local books each winter. Coalition For Books Chair, and Managing Director of publishing house Allen and Unwin Aotearoa […]

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  • Puke Ariki NZ Children’s Book Week Writer in Residence Steph Julian

    Posted on 6 July 2026

      In celebration of the first New Zealand Children’s Book Week, Puke Ariki and Community Libraries in Taranaki are hosting a Writer in Residence Programme celebrating storytelling, creativity and the joy of reading for pleasure among tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau. For 2026, Puke Ariki is delighted to welcome local author Steph Julian as our […]

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  • Wellington Writers Walk brings te reo Māori sculpture to Wellington waterfront in time for Matariki

    Posted on 2 July 2026

    WELLINGTON WRITERS WALK RELEASE 2 July 2026 The sound of conch and pūkaea rang out across the Wellington waterfront on Thursday 25 June to welcome a group of writers, Te Wharewaka o Pōneke Trustees, representatives of local arts and literary organisations and friends and supporters of the Wellington Writers Walk, gathered for the unveiling of […]

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  • Academy of NZ Literary – Southern Hemisphere Top 100

    Posted on 22 June 2026

    The Southern Hemisphere Fiction 100 The rest of ‘the greatest literature ever published in English’ Read on The Academy of NZ Literature website HERE   In May, the Guardian newspaper in the U.K. published a list of ‘the greatest literature ever published in English’, AKA ‘The 100 best novels of all time’, depending on which page heading […]

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