• Entries now open for the 2020 Ockhams

    The New Zealand Book Awards Trust is now inviting submissions for the 2020 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. These prestigious awards promote excellence in, and provide recognition for, the best books for adult readers published annually in New Zealand. Titles with release dates between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2019 will be considered for […]

    Continue reading
  • Social issues a major theme for National Poetry Day celebrations

    Climate change and the plight of refugees are the focus of some of the 150+ events in this year’s Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day, taking place on Friday August 23. Our annual celebration of writing and reading poetry embraces both the personal and political in a dynamic programme of events and competitions nationwide – from […]

    Continue reading
  • Tickets on Sale for NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults Ceremony

    Buy your tickets today to celebrate the best books for young New Zealand readers, and applaud the winners, at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults ceremony in the atmospheric Te Marae at Te Papa in Wellington on Wednesday 7 August. The 41 finalists include many of the country’s finest children’s writers, […]

    Continue reading
  • Hamilton Book Month happening again this August

    It’s August and Hamilton Book Month is underway again with the biggest ever programme with 21 different events and a grand total of 35 (including repeats) across August at various Hamilton venues. Almost all events are free with only four having a charge. Co-organiser Catherine Wallace says ‘There’s so many authors we wanted to include […]

    Continue reading
  • Eye-catching Book on Samoan Tattooing Sweeps the Board at the PANZ Book Design Awards

    A beautifully designed and richly illustrated retelling of the unique and powerful history of S?moan tattooing was the big winner at the 2019 PANZ Book Design Awards. Tatau: A History of S?moan Tattooing by Sean Mallon and Sébastien Galliot (Te Papa Press), designed by Arch MacDonnell (Inhouse Design) received the overall accolade of the Gerard Reid […]

    Continue reading
  • Space to breathe

    22 Jul 2019 The latest offering of grants and awards in one of our key creative industries is rightly seen as something to boast about. [In partnership with NZSA and CLNZ] There’s less than a week for would-be or established writers in New Zealand to apply for $20,000 worth of research grants on offer. From August 2 there’s […]

    Continue reading
  • A wealth of literary talent at Writers on Mondays

    16 July 2019 Popular readings series Writers on Mondays returns to Wellington from 22 July, featuring a stunning array of local, national, and international writers. _________________________________________________ Presented by Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) in conjunction with Te Papa Tongarewa, the series runs each Monday from 22 July to 7 October, […]

    Continue reading
  • Creative Industries feature in government vision and policy planning announcement

    The Government has launched a new approach to industry policy, aimed at growing more innovative industries in New Zealand and lifting the productivity of our key sectors. New Zealand has a strong economic foundation but our productivity has continued to fall behind our main competitors. To take advantage of the opportunities of the technological revolution […]

    Continue reading
  • I want to write more than anything else in the world

    26 Jun 2019 Paula Morris takes us inside the shadow of Katherine Mansfield and her days at the Menton residency on the French Riviera Share From late February until the end of June this year I’ve been based in Menton, the final stop on the French Riviera before the Ligurian coast of northern Italy. More […]

    Continue reading
  • NZCYA AWARDS SHORTLIST SHOWS STRENGTH OF NEW ZEALAND CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING

    New Zealand’s children’s publishing is in fine health. That’s the verdict of the judges for the 2019 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults after they faced the daunting challenge of whittling down a shortlist for this year’s awards. “The quality of submissions was impressive this year,” says convenor of judges Crissi Blair. […]

    Continue reading
  • Auckland Writers Festival Continues Its Record-Breaking Run

    People of all ages flocked to the 2019 Auckland Writers Festival this week, which broke its previous attendance record with more than 82,000 seats filled across seven days of tremendous conversations, inspiring performances and theatres filled with laughter at venues throughout the city’s centre. The Festival, which has seen year-on-year growth in the last eight […]

    Continue reading
  • OCKHAM NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS 2019 WINNERS’ ANNOUNCEMENT

    OCKHAM NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS 2019 WINNERS’ ANNOUNCEMENT ‘Urgently Relevant’ Novel Wins Country’s Richest Literary Award Dame Fiona Kidman has won this year’s $53,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for her novel, This Mortal Boy, a work described by the judges as ‘moving, memorable, authentic and urgently relevant to […]

    Continue reading