Wattie Book

The judges selected for the inaugural New Zealand Post Book Awards bring with them a wealth of literary expertise as they set about choosing the country’s best books published in 2009.

This year sees an increase from three to five judges as part of a new, streamlined structure of the country’s premier book awards.

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 )

Download the list of winners in pdf below.

Awards History

Before 1996, there were two major New Zealand literary prizes, the New Zealand Book Awards (1973-1995) and the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards (1968-1993).

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

In 1996, the two Awards merged to form the Montana New Zealand Book awards (1996-2009).