Established in 1968, the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country’s premier literary honours for books written by New Zealanders.
Congratulations to this years outstanding winners! You can visit BookHub to shop for all these books with Aotearoa’s independent bookshops.
Winner of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction
Published by Te Herenga Waka University Press
“Delirious is an unforgettable work of fiction that navigates momentous themes with elegance and honesty… What stood out to the judges was the assured but understated touch of prose as it flows elegantly across decades, threads the intricacies of relationships, and fathoms the ongoing evolution of a couple‘s grief.”
– Thom Conroy, judge
Winner of the BookHub Prize for Illustrated Non-Fiction
Published by Auckland University Press
“A book of enduring significance with international reach… Toi te Mana is extensively researched and thoughtfully written, casting a wide inclusive net. The result is a beautifully designed visual tour de force, and a cultural framework that approaches toi mahi with intelligence and insight.”
– Chris Szekely, judge
Winner of the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry
Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit by Emma Neale
Published by Otago University Press
“Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit displays an exceptional ability to turn confessional anecdotes into quicksilvery flashes of insight. It’s a book about fibs and fables; and telling true stories which are perceived by others as tall stories; and the knock-on or flow-on effects of distrust, the scales dropping from one’s eyes. It’s about power and a sense of powerlessness; it’s about belief and the loss of belief, it’s about trust and disillusion; it’s about disenchantment with fairytales. It’s about compassion.”
– David Eggleton, judge
Winner of the General Non-Fiction Award
Hine Toa: A Story of Bravery by Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku
Published by HarperCollins New Zealand
“Hine Toa is a rich, stunningly evocative memoir that defies easy categorisation. As well as painting a vivid picture of Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku’s early life, from her childhood on ‘the pā’ at Ōhinemutu to her many creative and academic achievements, it is also a fiery social and political history that chronicles the transformative second half of the 20th century in Aotearoa from a vital queer, Māori, feminist perspective.”
– Holly Walker, judge
Winners of the Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Awards
Winner of the Hubert Church Prize for Fiction
A tragicomedy set in the confines of a 1994 Daihatsu Mira, Poorhara is a journey of epic proportions—a poignant, expansive and darkly funny first novel written by a true poorhara.
Published by Te Herenga Waka University Press
Winner of the Jessie Mackay Prize for Poetry
In this dreamy debut, Rex Paget will have you reminiscing on past loves; dancing in the rain; and appreciating the depth and range of human emotion and connection.
Published by Saufo’i Press
Sight Lines: Women and Art in Aotearoa by Kirsty Baker (editor)
Winner of the Judith Blinney Prize for Illustrated Non-Fiction
Extraordinary women, groundbreaking art. From ancient whatu kakahu to contemporary installation art, Frances Hodgkins to Merata Mita, Fiona Clark to Mataaho Collective, Sight Lines tells the story of art made by women in Aotearoa.
Published by Auckland University Press
The Chthonic Cycle by Una Cruickshank
Winner of the E.H. McCormick Prize for General Non-Fiction
Written in an effort to ward off existential dread, and to find new understandings and consolations for those similarly afflicted, The Chthonic Cycle is an eccentric and brilliantly curated tour through time, in which fascinating objects glint and spark and the transience of humanity flickers.
Published by Te Herenga Waka University Press