New Zealand Book Awards

In 1996 the New Zealand Book Awards merged with the Montana Book Awards to form the Montana New Zealand Book Awards

1995

• Poetry: Dia Michelle Leggot
• Fiction: The Singing Whakapapa C K Stead
• Non-fiction: An Accidental life Phoebe Meikle
• Book Production: Seaweeds of New Zealand: An illustrated guide

1994

• Poetry: How to talk Andrew Johnston
• Fiction: The Miserables Damien Wilkins
• Non-fiction: Te Wai Pounamu: the Greenstone Island: A history of the Southern Māori during the European colonization of New Zealand Harry Evison
• Book Production: The Wines and vineyards of New Zealand (4th edition) edited and designed by Barbara Nielsen, text by Michael Cooper, photographed by Robin Morrison

1993

• Poetry: Beyond Brian Turner
• Fiction: The Skinny Louie Book Fiona Farrell
• Non-fiction: Ettie: A life of Ettie Rout Jane Tolerton
• Book Production: Tivaevae: Portraits of Cook Islands quilting Lynnsay Rongokea, designed by Lindsay Missen

1992

• Poetry: Milky Way Bar Bill Manhire
• Fiction:Dangerous desires Peter Wells
• Non-fiction: Two Worlds: First meetings between Māori and Europeans 1642-1772 Anne Salmond

1991

• Poetry: Berlin Diary Cilla McQueen
• Fiction: The Burning boy Maurice Gee
• Non-fiction: The Life of James K Baxter Frank McKay
• Book Production: The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography: Volume One & Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau: 1769-1869 Lindsay Missen

1990

• Poetry: A Pattern of marching Elizabeth Smith
• Fiction: Visitors John Cranna
• Non-fiction: Born to New Zealand: A biography of Jane Maria Atkinson Frances Porter
• Book Production: New Zealand! New Zealand! - In praise of Kiwiana Stephen Barnett and Richard Wolfe, Hodder & Stoughton in association with Bookmakers & Design Production Ltd

1989

• Poetry: Benzina Cilla McQueen
• Fiction: The Carpathians Janet Frame
• Non-fiction: Tarawera Ronald Kean
• Book Production: The Fold of the land Bridget Williams, Lloyd Homer and Les Molloy

1988

• Poetry: All Cretans are liars Anne French
• Fiction:The Book of Secrets Fiona Kidman
• Non-fiction: Seven Lives or Salt River Dick Scott
• Book Production: Winkelmann: Images of Early New Zealand Vivien Edwards

1987

• Poetry: The Loop in the lone kauri road Allen Curnow and Jump Elizabeth Nannestad (Joint Winners)
• Fiction: Potiki Patricia Grace
• Non-fiction: Head and shoulders Virginia Myers
• Book Production: Focus on New Zealand edited by Brian Brake, designed by Donna Hoyle

1986

• Poetry: Stories about wooden keyboards Kendrick Smithyman
• Fiction: People of the long water Peter Hooper
• Non-fiction: Envoy from Mirror City Janet Frame
• Book Production: The Bach Paul Thompson; Witness to change Janet Bayly and Athol McCredie (Joint winners)

1985

• Poetry: Zoetropes Bill Manhire
• Fiction: Disorderly conduct Marilyn Duckworth; All visitors ashore Karl Stead
• Non-fiction: Verdict on Erebus Peter Mahon
• Book Production: City of plains: A History of Hastings Mary Beatrice Boyd

1984

• Poetry: Selected poems Fleur Adcock
• Fiction: The Bone People Keri Hulme
• Non-fiction: An Angel at my table, An Autobiography: Volume two Janet Frame
• Book Production:The Aggressions of the French at Tahiti and other islands of the Pacific George Pritchard

1983

• Poetry: You will know when you get there Allen Curnow; Homing in Cilla McQueen
• Fiction: Other halves Sue McCauley
• Non-fiction: Cork of war Ray Grover
• Book Production: Maui Development environmental study A C Kibblewhite et al

1982

• Poetry: Alistair Campbell : Collected poems Alistair Campbell
• Fiction: Meg Maurice Gee; Dandy Edison for lunch Vincent O’Sullivan
• Non-fiction: The South Island of New Zealand from the road Robin Morrison
• Book Production: Major award Portrait of Frances Hodgkins Dr Eric McCormick
  Two lesser awards given to two book designers
  Craft New Zealand and The Oxford History of New Zealand Lindsay Missen; Good Looks; In the Glass Case, Essays on New Zealand Literature ; Portrait of Frances Hodgkins Neysa Mossfor

1981

• Poetry: Wall Michael Jackson
• Fiction: The Lovelock Version Maurice Shadbolt
• Non-fiction: The Life of Katherine Mansfield Antony Alpers
• Book Production:
  The major award Contemporary New Zealand Artists, Part One Alister Taylor, Jim and Mary Barr, and Lindsay Missen
  The two lesser awards Salt from the north Lindsay Missen for the design (book by Lauris Edmond); Druscilla Lynley Dodd for her illustrations (book by Clarice England)

1980

• Poetry: An Incorrigible music Allen Curnow
• Fiction: Living in the Maniototo Janet Frame
• Non-fiction I Passed this way Sylvia Ashton-Warner
• Book Production: Art of the Pacific Brian Brake, James McNeish, David Simmons

1979

• Poetry: Literary cartoons Kevin Ireland
• Fiction: Plumb Maurice Gee
• Non-fiction: Beyond the welfare state Harvey Franklin

1978

• Poetry: How to take your clothes off at a picnic Bill Manhire; Spells for coming out Ian Wedde
• Fiction: The Time of Achamoth M K Joseph
• Non-fiction: Te Puea Michael King

1977

• Poetry: Walking in the snow Ruth Dallas; Dear Mondrian Alan Loney
• Fiction: Dick Seddon’s great dive Ian Wedde
• Non-fiction: Walter Nash Keith Sinclair

1976

• Poetry: Fires and patterns Louis Johnson; Quesada Professor C K Stead
• Fiction: A Glorious morning Comrade Maurice Gee; Selected stories O E Middleton
• Non-fiction: Traditional Songs of the Māori Mervyn McLean and Margaret Orbell

About New Zealand Literary Prizes

Before 1996, there were two major New Zealand literary prizes.
They merged in 1996 to form the Montana New Zealand Book awards.

The New Zealand Book Awards ran from 1976 to 1995.

The other major award from 1968-1993 was the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards (when the Wattie's company merged with Goodman Fielder, the Wattie book awards became the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book awards).

Montana took over sponsorship in 1994 and the awards became the Montana Book Awards (1994-1995).

In 1996, the Montana Book Awards merged with the New Zealand Book Awards to become the Montana New Zealand Book Awards.