New Zealand Post Book Awards

Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned.

The New Zealand Book Awards are currently sponsored by Ockham. From 2010 to 2014, the awards were know as the New Zealand Post Book Awards. The principal sponsors of the New Zealand Post Book Awards were the New Zealand Post Group and Creative New Zealand. The awards were managed by Booksellers New Zealand and supported by the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

The overall winner of the Book of the Year Award received $15,000. Winners of the four Category Awards each received $10,000, the Māori Language Award $10,000, Readers’ Choice Award $5,000, and each of the winners of the three NZSA Best First Book Awards, $2,500.

See more literary prize winners.

2014

Cover of Peter McLeavey Cover of The Luminaries Cover of Us, Then Cover of Coast Cover of Molesworth

New Zealand Post Book of the Year and General Non-Fiction winner

Peter McLeavey: the life and times of a New Zealand art dealer Jill Trevelyan (Te Papa Press)

People’s Choice Award winner

The Luminaries Eleanor Catton (Victoria University Press)

Fiction

Poetry

Illustrated Non-Fiction

General Non-Fiction

Nielsen Booksellers’s Choice

New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards

Cover of Tough Cover of Horse with Hat Cover of Tragedy at Pike River MIne

NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction: Tough Amy Head (Victoria University Press)

NZSA Jessie Mackay Best First Book Award for Poetry: Horse with hat Marty Smith (Victoria University Press)

NZSA E. H. McCormick Best First Book Award for Non-Fiction: Tragedy at Pike River Mine Rebecca Macfie (Awa Press)

2013

Cover of The big music Cover of Nga Waituhi o Rehua Cover of Patched Cover of The Darling North Cover of Hanly Cover of Shelter from the storm Cover of Civilisation

New Zealand Post Book of the Year and Fiction winner

The big music Kirsty Gunn (Faber & Faber)

Māori Language Award

Dame Katerina Te Heikōkō Mataira for Ngā Waituhi o Rēhua (Huia Publishers)

People’s Choice Award

Fiction

Poetry

Illustrated Non-Fiction

Nielsen Booksellers Choice

Shelter from the Storm: The story of New Zealand’s backcountry huts Shaun Barnett, Rob Brown and Geoff Spearpoint (Craig Potton Publishing)

General Non-Fiction

New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards

Cover of I got his blood on me Cover of Graft Cover of Moa

NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction: I got his blood on me Lawrence Patchett (Victoria University Press)

NZSA Jessie Mackay Best First Book Award for Poetry: Graft Helen Heath (Victoria University Press)

NZSA E. H. McCormick Best First Book Award for Non-Fiction: Moa: the life and death of New Zealand’s legendary bird Quinn Berentson (Craig Potton Publishing)

2012

Cover: from under the overcoat Cover: New Zealand's Native Trees Cover of My language My inspiration Cover of Shift Cover of Rangatira Cover of Tupaia

New Zealand Post Book of the year

New Zealand’s native trees John Dawson and Rob Lucas (Craig Potton Publishing)

People’s Choice Award winner

From under the overcoat Sue Orr (Vintage, Random House NZ)

Māori Language Award

Chris Winitana (Ngati Tuwharetoa and Ngai Tuhoe) for Toku Reo, Toku Ohooho - my language, my inspiration

Fiction

Poetry

  • Shift Rhian Gallagher (Auckland University Press) Winner
  • The leaf-ride Dinah Hawken (Victoria University Press)
  • Thicket Anna Jackson (Auckland University Press)

Illustrated Non-Fiction

General Non-Fiction

New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Award

Cover of Wulf Cover of Briefcase Cover of New Zealand by design

NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction: Wulf Hamish Clayton (Penguin Group, New Zealand).

NZSA Jessie Mackay Best First Book Award for Poetry: Briefcase John Adams (Auckland University Press).

NZSA E. H. McCormick Best First Book Award for Non-Fiction: New Zealand by design Michael Smythe (Random House New Zealand).

 2011

Cover of Blue smoke: the lost dawn of NZ popular music Cover of The hut builder Cover of Kate Camp Cover of The Passing world

Book of the Year

Blue smoke: the lost dawn of NZ popular music 1918-1964 Chris Bourke (Auckland University Press)

People’s Choice

Blue smoke: the lost dawn of NZ popular music 1918-1964 Chris Bourke (Auckland University Press)

Fiction

Poetry

General Non-Fiction

Illustrated Non-Fiction

New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Award

Cover of Everything we hoped forCover of Dear sweet Harry Cover of Whaikōrero the world of Māori oratory

2010

Cover of Encircled lands Cover of Go Fish Cover of As the earth turns silver Cover of Just this

Book of the Year

Encircled lands: Te Urewera, 1820-1921 Judith Binney (Bridget Williams Books) (winner of the General Non-Fiction category)

People’s Choice Award

Go fish: recipes and stories from the New Zealand Coast Al Brown (Random House NZ) (winner of the Illustrated Non-Fiction category)

Fiction

General Non-Fiction

Poetry

Illustrated Non-Fiction

New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Award

  • NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book of Fiction Award winner: Relief Anna Taylor (Victoria University Press)
  • NZSA Jessie Mackay Best First Book of Poetry Award winner: Fast talking PI Selina Tusitala March (Auckland University Press)
  • NZSA E. H. McCormick Best First Book of Non-fiction Award winner: Trust: a true story of women & gangs Pip Desmond (Random House New Zealand)

Search the catalogue for ReliefSearch the catalogue for Fast Talking PISearch the catalogue for Trust

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