Elizabeth Smither has published 18 collections of poetry and was New Zealand's poet laureate from 2001 to 2003. In 2004 she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Literature from the University of Auckland, and in 2008 she received the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry. She has also published five novels and five short story collections, as well as journals and memoirs. Her poetry collection Night Horse won the Ockham New Zealand Book Award for Poetry in 2018.