Whanganui festival features Ockham winners Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku, Damien Wilkins
He is the director of the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington.
Aauthor Witi Ihimaera called Delirious a novel of 'grace and humanity'.
'These are flawed and immensely satisfying characters – you close your eyes at the faulty, circuitous routes they take. Delirious is a marvel of a book,' he said
Te Awekōtuku is an academic specialising in Māori cultural issues, a lesbian activist, and the first Māori woman to earn a PhD.
She was awarded the General Non-Fiction Award for her memoir Hine Toa: A Story of Bravery.
Novelist and poet Dame Fiona Kidman called the memoir 'extraordinary, vivid, riveting'.
'I learned, I laughed and I wept over this book,' she said.
Eight more acclaimed speakers for the Whanganui festival will be announced in June, with the full event programme released in July.
'We can assure you that we have some exciting surprises in store,' White said.
'There's a fantastic mix of voices and genres, something for every kind of booklover, as well as some interesting events in the pipeline.'
The festival was a good reason for out-of-towners to visit Whanganui, she said.
'This is the perfect excuse to start planning a weekend escape to one of New Zealand's most creative and culturally rich cities.
'With numerous literary festival events hosted at the iconic Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, it's also a great opportunity to explore this stunning gallery, which has recently reopened after a major redevelopment and to soak up the charms of Whanganui's heritage and cultural precinct with Whanganui Regional Museum nearby.'
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And personally, I think the general population will look first to the artists and their artwork to come to terms with that major humanity shift." To see Mai Te Uira, Glenroy Auditorium, Dunedin, June 18, 7.30pm.
