All the finalists in the 2025 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
The winter months are an apt time to celebrate the creators of books that feed future creators of books. With long nights and days punctuated by weather, here's an opportunity to gather around the best Aotearoa has to offer and their promises of armchair adventure.
There were 156 entries to the awards this year (slightly down on 2024's 176). The judging panels were assisted by 450 reviews submitted by school students from 51 schools around Aotearoa. Among this year's finalists are books that, according to convenor of judges Feana Tu'akoi, present 'big ideas from our past, present and possible dystopian futures are considered in absorbing and thoughtful ways, providing springboards for deeper discussion. Themes include identity, connection, mental health, our histories, traditional wisdom, indigenous languages, and the importance of being exactly who we are.'
Before we dive into some analysis of each category, a recap of what they are and the monies attached. There are six categories: Picture Book, Junior Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction, Illustration and te reo Māori. Winners are announced at a ceremony at Pipitea Marae in Wellington on August 13 and will each take home $8,500. Of those winners, one will be named the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and will receive an extra $8,500. The Best First Book prize winner gets $2,500.
The Bookhub Picture Book Award finalists
Ten Nosey Weka by Kate Preece, illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu) (Bateman Books)
Titiro Look by Gavin Bishop (Tainui, Ngāti Awa), translated by Darryn Joseph (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Rereahu) (Gecko Press, Lerner Publishing Group)
You Can't Pat a Fish by Ruth Paul (Walker Books Australia)
Picture books are an artistic collaboration. Words, text, design and format all have to work together perfectly. These finalists are all pros. Gavin Bishop, Ruth Paul, Juliette MacIver have all been here before, as have illustrators Lily Uivel and Isobel Joy Te Aho-White. Kate Preece is new to the awards with her first-of-a-kind counting book revolving around those curious, sneaky wee birds, the weka. In this interview with The Sapling, Preece explains how the book is tri-lingual and is the first to include Ta rē Moriori, the indigenous language of Rēkohu, where Preece now lives.
Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award finalists
Brown Bird by Jane Arthur (Penguin Random House New Zealand)
Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen (Penguin Random House New Zealand)
The Apprentice Witnesser by Bren MacDibble (Allen & Unwin)
The Raven's Eye Runaways by Claire Mabey (Allen & Unwin)
V iolet and the Velvets: The Case of the Missing Stuff by Rachael King, illustrated by Phoebe Morris (Allen & Unwin)
This is all very … strange, for me. I love writing. I love writing novels for young readers because at heart I am still a young reader. It's extremely odd to be writing with this books editor hat on about this award with my author hat on. But the books editor is saying well done to the author and the author is chuffed (if not quite awkward). Mostly because of the company my first novel is keeping here. Back for the second year in a row is the unstoppable Rachael King (who was also a finalist in 2024 for The Grimmelings); I adored Jane Arthur's self-described 'quiet novel' about a character who now looms large in my mind. Bren MacDibble is an absolute powerhouse writer whose work is admirable for its voice, its world building and its control. And Li Chen's Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat has stunning visual worldbuilding and a cute as leading cat. Note the mystery theme: definitely a trend I've noticed in international publishing. Young readers love intrigue just as much as anyone!
Young Adult Fiction Award finalists
Bear by Kiri Lightfoot, illustrated by Pippa Keel Situ (Allen & Unwin)
Gracehopper by Mandy Hager (One Tree House)
Migration by Steph Matuku (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga) (Huia Publishers)
The Mess of Our Lives by Mary-Anne Scott (One Tree House)
The Paradise Generation by Sanna Thompson (umop apisdn press)
Writing for young adults is a tall order. Young adults (otherwise known as teenagers) can be a tough crowd. What all of these books do is simply tell a story, build worlds, with teenage protagonists at the heart of them. Kiri Lightfoot's Bear is akin to acclaimed Patrick Ness novel, A Monster Calls, in that it uses a metaphoric beast to represent Jasper's rage, fear and consuming emotional undertow. Steph Matuku (no stranger to these awards) has written a brilliant dystopian sci-fi that reflects our present-day conflicts all too well. The Mess of Our Lives by Mary-Anne Scott is a story of overcoming an extremely challenging home life; while Mandy Hager (also no stranger to these awards) has written a story that centres on themes of identity and inclusion. First-time author Sanna Thompson is the wild card here: you can read an excerpt from The Paradise Generation over on Kete Books.
Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction Finalists
Black Magic by David Riley, illustrated by Munro Te Whata (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Makefu) (Reading Warrior)
Dear Moko: Māori Wisdom for our Young Ones by Hinemoa Elder (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāpuhi nui tonu) (Penguin Random House New Zealand)
Ruru: Night Hunter by Katie Furze, illustrated by Ned Barraud (Scholastic New Zealand)
The Treaty of Waitangi / Te Tiriti o Waitangi by Ross Calman (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Kāi Tahu) (Oratia Books)
Tui Pea Luva by Mele Tonga Grant, illustrated by Luca Walton (Mila's Books)
Huge names! These books are so crucial for education at home and at school: they condense complex subjects and present them in fluid, learnable ways via text, image and design. I love Ruru: Night Hunter for its immersive journey through the nightlife of our little owls. Ross Calman's The Treaty of Waitangi | Te Tiriti o Waitangi is extremely useful: highly illustrated, clearly written, an all-ages text, really. Mila's Books are the only all-Pasifika publishing house in the world and they consistently put out books made by and for Pasifika children and families. Tui Pea Luva is Grant's poetry collection which passes down the wisdom of Pasifika women. David Riley's Reading Warrior is a multi-faceted organisation that publishes books, creates projects in collaboration with communities, runs workshops and puts student writing into print. Black Magic continues Reading Warrior's focus on sporting heroics with the story of how we got our all black uniforms with a silver fern.
Russell Clark Award for Illustration
Alice and the Strange Bird by Isaac du Toit (Isaac du Toit)
Hineraukatauri me Te Ara Pūoro, illustrated by Rehua Wilson (Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa), written by Elizabeth Gray (Ngāti Rēhia, Ngāti Uepōhatu, Tama Ūpoko ki te awa tipua, Ngāti Tūwharetoa anō hoki) (Huia Publishers)
Poem for Ataahua, illustrated by Sarah Wilkins, written by Alistair Te Ariki Campbell (Reading Warrior)
Sad Sushi, Anna Aldridge (Anna Aldridge)
You Can't Pat a Fish by Ruth Paul (Walker Books Australia)
It's always amazing to me how illustrators find angles, perspectives, and wordless narratives that bring a text to life. Sarah Wilkins' illustrations for Poem for Ataahua first caught my eye on Instagram: they're stunning, ethereal. Wilkins is longlisted for the World Illustration Awards 2025 for this same work (selected from 5000 entries from 81 countries). I also adore Ruth Paul's bold style: there's such comedy in the images that work so well with Paul's rollicking rhyme (hard to do but Paul does it so well).
Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award Finalists
A Ariā me te Atua o te Kūmara by Witi Ihimaera (Te Whānau a Kai, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngāti Porou), illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu), translated by Hēni Jacob (Ngāti Raukawa) (Penguin Random House New Zealand)
*Hineraukatauri me Te Ara Pūoro by Elizabeth Gray (Ngāti Rēhia, Ngāti Uepōhatu, Tama Ūpoko ki te awa tipua, Ngāti Tūwharetoa anō hoki), illustrated by Rehua Wilson (Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa) (Huia Publishers)
Ka mātoro a Whetū rāua ko Kohu i Rotorua by Hayley Elliott-Kernot, translated by Te Ingo Ngaia (Taranaki, Ngāruahine, Te Ātiawa, Waikato-Maniapoto, Ngāti Whakaue, Te Whānau-a-Karuai ) (Round Door Design)
Ko ngā Whetū Kai o Matariki, ko Tupuānuku rāua ko Tupuārangi by Miriama Kamo (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga), illustrated by Zak Waipara (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Ruapani, Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongowhakaata), translated by Ariana Stevens (Poutini Ngāi Tahu) (Scholastic New Zealand)
* Ngā Kupenga a Nanny Rina by Qiane Mataa-Sipu (Te Waiohua, Waikato, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao, Cook Islands), illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu) (Penguin Random House New Zealand)
* Indicates a finalist book originally written in te reo Māori
A specialist judging panel was enlisted to analyse the merits of these books either translated into te reo Māori or originally written in te reo Māori. Many familiar names here including Mirama Kamo and Zak Waipara (who were finalists in 2019 for Ngā Whetū Matariki i Whānakotia, translated by Ngaere Roberts); and Witi Ihimaera and Isobel Joy Te Aho-White who were finalists in 2023 with Te Kōkōrangi: Te Aranga o Matariki (translated by Hēni Jacob).
NZSA Best First Book Award Finalists
Brave Kāhu and the Pōrangi Magpie by Shelley Burne-Field (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Rārua, Te Ātiawa, Sāmoa) (Allen & Unwin)
Play Wild by Rachel Clare (Bateman Books)
The Raven's Eye Runaways by Claire Mabey (Allen & Unwin)
The Witch of Maketu and the Bleating Lambs by Anika Moa (Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri), illustrated by Rebecca ter Borg (Penguin Random House New Zealand)
The Writing Desk by Di Morris (Bateman Books)
I don't think many of us on this list ever expected to see our names alongside queen Anika Moa. I loved her book based on the character in her superbly creepy song. Shelley Burne-Field is a gorgeous writer (you can read about why she writes for children on The Spinoff). Di Morris' The Writing Desk is a stunning graphic account of the lives of colonial women; and Rachel Clare's Play Wild is a guide to having little adventures outside (reminiscent of Giselle Clarkson's The Observologist, though more geared towards using natural materials to aid imaginative play).
Thanks to the English and bilingual judging panel: Convenor of judges Feana Tu'akoi, a Kirikiriroa-based writer; Don Long, a children's and educational publishing expert; Linda Jane Keegan, a Singaporean-Pākehā writer and reviewer; Stacy Gregg (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Pukeko, Ngāti Maru Hauraki), recipient of the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the 2024 NZCYA awards; and Mero Rokx (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tai), an education specialist who is on the English-language and bilingual panel, as well as Te Kura Pounamu panel.
And to the panel judging te reo Māori entries: Convenor Mat Tait (Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāti Kuia), a freelance artist, illustrator, writer and te reo Māori tutor based in the Motueka area; Justice-Manawanui Arahanga-Pryor (Ngāti Awa ki Rangitaiki, Ngāti Uenuku, Ngāti Rangi, Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki), a kaitakawaenga / library programming specialist; and Maxine Hemi (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne), a kaiako with over 30 years' experience teaching.
And praise be for those who make the awards possible: Creative New Zealand, HELL Pizza, the Wright Family Foundation, LIANZA Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa, Wellington City Council, BookHub presented by Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand, New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa, the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, the Mātātuhi Foundation, and NielsenIQ BookData. The Awards are administered by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa.
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The Spinoff
a day ago
- The Spinoff
How two ‘elderly aunties', Robin White and Gaylene Preston, made a film together
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When everyone was getting a cup of tea, I saw Robin was sitting at a table over from me. I looked at her, and I thought, if that's Robin White, I want to tell her what a brilliant painter she is, and that I love Summer Grass. So I went over, I introduced myself, and I found myself saying, 'Well, I've made a film about Rita Angus, and I've made a film about Hone Tuwhare, and I've made a film about Keri Hulme. I could make a film about you.' I heard it come out of my mouth, and while I didn't disagree with it, I couldn't believe I'd said that. At that time, I had given up filmmaking. I'd had a really nasty concussion for some years, so I thought my filmmaking days were over, and here I was telling Robin White that I'd make a film. Robin White: Well, I'm looking at this woman who introduced herself and thinking, oh my gosh, this is Gaylene Preston, I know who you are. This is a real honour. I felt hugely privileged to be approached by this lady, but at the same time I'm looking at Gaylene and thinking, gosh, lady, I don't know if you're you – are you OK? Hopefully, my natural politeness kicked in. I can't remember how I responded. I didn't know at this point that you'd had this head injury, but I instinctively felt there was something about this lady, that she's not herself. There was something about you, Gaylene. But I knew this is a solid lady. This is not a flake. I'm dealing with a woman with a formidable reputation for doing stuff. It left me thinking there was more to talk about. These things require time and conversation. At the back of my mind, I'm thinking, park it for a time when we can be face to face and revisit this, which is what happened, wasn't it, Gaylene. Preston: I was very grateful for that, because I wasn't in the shape to be making a film. It was a full year later that we got together to talk about what a film might be. White: In December the following year I was driving up to Auckland with all my gear packed, getting ready for a period of working collaboratively with Ebonie Fifita and Falehanga 'o Laka. I was going to be in Wellington just briefly, so I got in touch with you. I think one of the first things I said to you when we finally had that coffee on Cuba Street is that I wasn't really interested in a film about me, but what I thought might be more purposeful, more useful in the bigger scheme of things, would be a film that addressed the idea of artists working collaboratively. Preston: Film is a highly collaborative medium. So making a film about artistic, creative collaboration, particularly a collaboration of making big, huge, messy bark cloth work with a group of women, is immediately very interesting for a filmmaker. White: It all just went 'click, click, click' from there. But it wasn't until the beginning of January 2023 that you came to Laka where we were working, is that right? Preston: Robin, Ebonie and Ruha Fifita were working at an art space on Onehunga Mall, which I was familiar with. My camera was broken so I filmed on my phone. In my mind, I was really doing research, and I would go and get the real money to make a real film with a real film crew and high quality cameras later. We did use some very high range cameras filming Robin's retrospective, but I found once we hit the edit, there was a real lively intimacy to what I had originally filmed. I don't think documentaries are all about swanky camera work. The material I thought I was shooting for research turned out to be more valuable than I thought. I'm still shooting. I have to keep shooting until the big Kiribati painting is finished. I'm painting a globally important artist painting a big master work. So why would I stop just because I've delivered my feature film? That'd be silly, wouldn't it? White: People have asked me what it was like being filmed. In some of those sequences which are quite intimate and personal and emotional I was unaware of the presence of a camera. I suppose fly on the wall is not a bad description. I didn't feel nervous. Partly that's to do with trusting a fellow artist who has this amazing history of creativity. The other thing is that the context of collaborative art making is a context of a busy social environment, a lot of comings and goings, a lot of discussion, a lot of very open conversations about what is being done, the decision making, the critiquing of things. It's very different from the – quote, unquote – Western notion of the artist alone and being very protective and very secretive. Preston: The job is to be as unobtrusive as possible – that's the filmmaking tradition I come from, and that relates right back to Barry Barclay making Tangata Whenua in 1974. If you're making a film, an observational documentary about something, if you intrude, you've just lost what you're there to do. Robin and I were getting to know one another more deeply through this time. We didn't know one another before, but once we met, we had so many things in common. We've both been to art school, and we both came up through the public school system in New Zealand after the war, when everything was for the kiddies. It was child-based, play-based, art-based, primary education. Fortunately, we had a very progressive education. We're the art room people, that's what we share, isn't it Robin. White: Yeah, possibly for different reasons. I found primary school was a very lonely experience for me. I didn't enjoy going to school at all. I was much happier just at home, just doing whatever at home, but once I got to intermediate school, there was an art room with a dedicated art teacher, so I found my place. It feels like there's also a lot in common about the way we've proceeded in our careers. Maybe it's to do with commitment and a certain fearlessness, risk taking, in a world which if not openly hostile, is at least not all that encouraging for women. I don't have anything too much to complain about in that regard, but maybe because I'm just so bolshie. Preston: I've got a reputation for being bolshie, but I think I'm really kind of pleasant. In the end I'm not just gonna do something because I think that's what the market wants. In Aotearoa, we have made very few films about artists, and yet in this year's festival, there's three or four and they're made by women, incidentally. But they've been famously hard to fund. Mainstream networks aren't screening films about artists, let alone New Zealand artists. It took me 30 years to get the money to make a film about Rita Angus. They just kept saying, 'No, we don't do dead artists, thanks.' That's New Zealand culture for you. Anyway, we knew a few people in common from the old days, and we know the same songs that weren't necessarily known by the others because they were too young. We were having these conversations, having a great old gossip, and the others really liked listening in.
Newsroom
2 days ago
- Newsroom
This week's bestselling books, Aug 1
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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Celebrated voice of southern harness to call it a day
Becoming one of the most renowned voices in southern harness racing started with Bruce Young taking a chance. Young's 35-year tenure as a racing judge will come to an end when he declares the winners of the 10 harness races at Winton tomorrow. Over that time, Young has stamped himself as arguably the most recognisable voice among New Zealand's racing judges, known for his strong Southland accent and rolled "R's". It's a sound that has become synonymous with southern harness racing, and known by racing enthusiasts across the country. "There has been plenty of talk about my accent over the years and the way I roll my R's," Young said. "I've got a mate in Auckland and he reckons I have got a fan club up there who love hearing it." Young's voice would not be so widely known if he did not give judging a shot in the early 1990s. "Craig Todd was the judge at the time and I worked with him at the Department Of Lands and Survey at the time. "He said 'do you want to give it a go?', and I said 'what's involved?', and he said 'a bit of this and a bit of that'. "I didn't really know much about it, but I thought why not. "I was always interested in harness racing. "I was assistant to Craig for six years before judging alongside Brendon Burke. "It started as a bit of a hobby — there were only 24 meetings in those days. "But it turned into a part-time job, doing 50 meetings, and it got up to 70-odd when I was doing Forbury." Though Young was a newcomer to judging in 1990, his passion for the sport was well established. "I remember rushing home from school to watch Lunar Chance win the 1975 New Zealand Trotting Cup. "Then there was Trusty Scot, horses like Matai Dreamer, Sapling, and I was a big Young Quinn fan." "I got my interest in the 1970s, it would be what I would call the golden era for Southland harness racing. "I was hooked from there." Young has seen and judged every top horse Southland has produced over the past 35 years. Over that time, it has not necessarily been the best of them that have stood out to him. "It probably hasn't been the open-class horses, it has been those good country cup-type horses." "Horses like Lord Forbes, Prince Rashad, Giovanetto and Bee Bee Cee stand out." Young worked as a real estate agent for much of his judging tenure before entering the supermarket industry. Young and wife Maria will soon take over Four Square Te Anau, ending Young's outstanding contribution to judging and southern harness racing. "I will still be following the racing and I would be happy to fill in if I was needed. "I am looking forward to going to the races at some stage. "Instead of wearing a tie in the judge's box, I will be in the bar having a beer, catching up with everyone."
