Learning Media Ltd.

Last year Chris Bourke took home the country’s top literary honour – the New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award – for his work Blue Smoke: the Lost Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music 1918-1964. This year he heads up the judging panel for the same award.

A respected writer, reviewer, music historian and radio producer, Chris is well known as a former long-time producer for Radio New Zealand National’s Saturday Morning programme and as a staff writer and arts and books editor for print publications including The Listener.

Montana Medal For Fiction or Poetry
Opportunity, Charlotte Grimshaw (Random House NZ)

Montana Medal for Non-fiction
Wetlands of New Zealand, Janet Hunt (Random House NZ)

Fiction
Opportunity, Charlotte Grimshaw (Random House NZ)

Fiction runner-up
Edwin & Matilda, Laurence Fearnley (Penguin Group NZ)

Poetry
Cold Snack, Janet Charman (Auckland University Press)

History
Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka Volume II: Te Ara Hou - The New Society, Hilary and John Mitchell (Huia Publishers)

Biography
The Life and Times of James Walter Chapman-Taylor, Judy Siers (Millwood Heritage Productions Ltd)

Environment
Wetlands of New Zealand, Janet Hunt (Random House NZ)

Lifestyle & Contemporary Culture
Mau Moko: The World of Maori Tattoo, Ngahuia Te Awekotuku (Penguin Group NZ)

Illustrative
Bill Hammond: Jingle Jangle Morning, Jennifer Hay, with Ron Brownson, Chris Knox, and Laurence Aberhart; designed by Aaron Beehre (Christchurch Art Gallery)

Reference & Anthology
A Nest of Singing Birds: 100 Years of the New Zealand School Journal, Gregory O'Brien (Learning Media Ltd)

Maori Language Award|
Te Tū a Te Toka: He Ieretanga nō ngā Tai e Whā,
Huriana Raven and Piripi Walker (editors) (Totika Publishers and Toi Maori Aotearoa)

Readers' Choice Award
The Blue, Mary McCallum (Penguin Group NZ)

Hubert Church Best First Book of Fiction
The Blue, Mary McCallum (Penguin Group NZ)

Jessie Mackay Best First Book of Poetry
Incognito, Jessica Le Bas (Auckland University Press)

E.H. McCormick Best First Book of Non-Fiction
The Great Sacred Forest of Tane, Alan Clarke (Raupo Publishing)

Review Page or Programme of the Year Award
New Zealand Listener

Reviewer of the Year Award
Charlotte Grimshaw

Each year a panel of three judges is appointed for the Montana New Zealand Book Awards. The judges are supported by eight specialist category advisors and a Te Reo Māori advisor. The judges and advisors are chosen by the Montana New Zealand Book Awards Management Committee from a broad range of nominations put forward by literary and book trade organisations. Wherever possible one of the judges will be a practising writer.

New Zealand Book AwardsWinners 1994-1995

1995

First prize

Bulibasha, Witi Ihimaera (Penguin Books)

Second prize

Māori healing and herbal, Murdoch Riley (Viking Sevenseas NZ)

Third prize

Pieces of music, Michael Jackson (Random House )