Ockham New Zealand Book Awards


The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are literary awards presented annually in New Zealand. The awards began in 1996 as the merger of two literary awards events: the New Zealand Book Awards, which ran from 1976 to 1995, and the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards, which ran from 1968 to 1995.
The awards have changed name several times depending on sponsorship. From 1996 to 2009, the awards were known as the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, and sponsored by Montana Wines. From 2010 until 2014, the awards were known as the New Zealand Post Book Awards. Since 2015, the main sponsors have been property developer Ockham Residential, the Acorn Foundation, Creative New Zealand, Mary and Peter Biggs, Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand and biotech company MitoQ. The awards event is the opening event of the Auckland Writers Festival, held annually in May.

History and format

Before 1996 there were two major New Zealand literary awards events: the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards and the New Zealand Book Awards.
The Wattie Book of the Year Award was formed in 1968, supported by the New Zealand Publishers Association and sponsored by the company Wattie's. This award was the first of its kind in New Zealand. The first recipients were John Morton and Michael Miller for The New Zealand Sea Shore. The first novel to win an award was Smith's Dream by C.K. Stead in 1972. The award became the Goodman Fielder Wattie Awards, and only had a single category covering fiction, non-fiction and other genres. In 1994 the winemaking company Montana became the sponsor and the awards were renamed to the Montana Book Awards.
The New Zealand Book Awards were set up by the New Zealand Literary Fund, a government organisation, in 1976. Annual awards were presented for literary merit in fiction, non-fiction, poetry and book production.
In 1996, the two award series were amalgamated to form the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, managed by Booksellers New Zealand and offering prizes in six categories. In 2010, the New Zealand Post took over as sponsor, having supported the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults for the previous 14 years.
In 2015, Auckland property development firm Ockham Residential assumed sponsorship of the awards, and the New Zealand Book Awards Trust took over the governance and management. No prizes were presented in that year, and the awards were streamlined to discontinue the Book of the Year Award, the Booksellers' Choice Award and the People's Choice Award. Since the first Ockham New Zealand Book Awards in 2016, the ceremony has been held each year in May, as part of the Auckland Writers Festival. In 2020 the award winners were announced in a virtual presentation, after the Auckland Writers Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
, there are five principal prizes: fiction, general non-fiction, illustrated non-fiction, poetry and Te Mūrau o te Tuhi Māori Language Award for books written entirely in te reo Māori. "Best First Book" prizes are awarded to first time authors in the first four categories, currently sponsored by MitoQ. Each category is judged by a panel of three judges. Winners of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction receive a minimum of 55,000, and is the largest cash book prize in New Zealand. The other principal prizewinners receive 10,000 each, and the winners of the four MitoQ Best First Book awards receive 2,500.

Fiction

Fiction award

Since 2020, the top prize for fiction has been the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction. Between 2017 and 2019, the top prize for fiction was known as the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize. In 2017, it was known as the Acorn Foundation Literary Award. From 1996 to 2016, it was known as the Fiction Prize.
Since 2022 and between 2015 and 2018, this award has been known as the Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction. From 2019 to 2021, this award was known as the MitoQ Best First Book Awards: Hubert Church Prize for Fiction. From 1997 to 2014, this award was known as the NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book of Fiction Prize. In 1996, this award was known as the Best First Book Award, Fiction. Prior to 1996, this award had been presented since 1945 by PEN NZ, and was named for the poet, novelist and critic Hubert Church.
  • 2025 – Michelle Rahurahu, Poorhara. Te Herenga Waka University Press
  • 2024 – Emma Hislop, Ruin and Other Stories. Te Herenga Waka University Press
  • 2023 – Anthony Lapwood. Home Theatre. Te Herenga Waka University Press
  • 2022 – Rebecca K Reilly, Greta & Valdin. Te Herenga Waka University Press
  • 2021 – Rachel Kerr, Victory Park. Mākaro Press
  • 2020 – Becky Manawatu, Auē. Mākaro Press
  • 2019 – Kirsten Warner, The Sound of Breaking Glass. Mākaro Press
  • 2018 – Annaleese Jochems, Baby. Victoria University Press
  • 2017 – Gina Cole, Black Ice Matter. Huia Publishers
  • 2016 – David Coventry, The Invisible Mile. Victoria University Press
  • 2015 – no award due to change of sponsors
  • 2014 – Amy Head, Tough. Victoria University Press
  • 2013 – Lawrence Patchett, I Got His Blood on Me. Victoria University Press
  • 2012 – Hamish Clayton, Wulf. Penguin Group
  • 2011 – Pip Adam, Everything We Hoped for. Victoria University Press
  • 2010 – Anna Taylor, Relief. Victoria University Press
  • 2009 – Eleanor Catton, The Rehearsal. Victoria University Press
  • 2008 – Mary McCallum, The Blue. Penguin Group
  • 2007 – Rachael King, The Sound of Butterflies. Black Swan
  • 2006 – Gillian Ranstead, A Red Silk Sea. Penguin Group
  • 2005 – Julian Novitz, My Real Life and Other Stories. Vintage
  • 2004 – Kelly Ana Morey, Bloom. Penguin Group
  • 2003 – Paula Morris Queen of Beauty. Penguin Group
  • 2002 – Craig Marriner, Stonedogs. Vintage Books
  • 2001 – Karyn Hay, Emerald Budgies. Vintage Books
  • 2000 – Duncan Sarkies, Stray Thoughts And Nosebleeds. Victoria University Press
  • 1999 – William Brandt, Alpha Male. Victoria University Press
  • 1998 – Catherine Chidgey, In a Fishbone Church. Victoria University Press
  • 1997 – Dominic Sheehan, Finding Home. Secker & Waburg
  • 1996 – Emily Perkins, Not Her Real Name. Victoria University Press

    Poetry

Poetry award

Since 2020, this award has been the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry. Before 2019, this award was known as the Poetry Award.
  • 2025 – Emma Neale, Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit, Otago University Press
  • 2024 – Grace Yee, Chinese Fish Giramondo
  • 2023 – Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised. Auckland University Press
  • 2022 – Joanna Preston, Tumble. Otago University Press
  • 2021 – Tusiata Avia, The Savage Coloniser Book. Victoria University Press
  • 2020 – Helen Rickerby, How to Live. Auckland University Press
  • 2019 – Helen Heath, Are Friends Electric?. Victoria University Press
  • 2018 – Elizabeth Smither, Night Horse. Auckland University Press
  • 2017 – Andrew Johnston, Fits & Starts. Victoria University Press
  • 2016 – David Eggleton, The Conch Trumpet. Otago University Press
  • 2015 – no award due to change of sponsors
  • 2014 – Vincent O'Sullivan, Us, Then. Victoria University Press
  • 2013 – Anne Kennedy, The Darling North. Auckland University Press
  • 2012 – Rhian Gallagher, Shift. Auckland University Press
  • 2011 – Kate Camp, The Mirror of Simple Annihilated Souls. Victoria University Press
  • 2010 – Brian Turner, Just This. Victoria University Press
  • 2009 – Jenny Bornholdt, The Rocky Shore. Victoria University Press
  • 2008 – Janet Charman, Cold Snack. Auckland University Press
  • 2007 – Janet Frame, The Goose Bath. Vintage
  • 2006 – Bill Manhire, Lifted. Victoria University Press
  • 2005 – Vincent O'Sullivan, Nice Morning for It, Adam. Victoria University Press
  • 2004 – Anne Kennedy, Sing-song. Auckland University Press
  • 2003 – Glenn Colquhoun, Playing God. Steele Roberts
  • 2002 – Hone Tuwhare, Piggy-back Moon. Godwit
  • 2001 – Allen Curnow, The Bells of St Babel's. Auckland University Press
  • 2000 – Elizabeth Smither, The Lark Quartet. Auckland University Press
  • 1999 – Vincent O'Sullivan, Seeing You Asked. Victoria University Press
  • 1998 – Hone Tuwhare, Shape-Shifter. Steele Roberts
  • 1997 – edited by Jenny Bornholdt, Gregory O'Brien and Mark Williams, An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English. Oxford University Press
  • 1996 – Bill Manhire, My Sunshine. Victoria University Press