Best Books of the Year
Menu

New Zealand Book Awards Trust · award year

Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2019

The 2019 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards went to The Sound of Breaking Glass by Kirsten Warner (Best First Book: Fiction), We Can Make a Life by Chessie Henry (Best First Book: General Non-Fiction) and Whatever it Takes: Pacific Films and John O’Shea 1948-2000 by John Reid (Best First Book: Illustrated Non-Fiction), with winners in 5 more categories. 20 books were finalists and 45 books made the longlist across 8 categories.

Winners

Best First Book: Fiction

  1. The Sound of Breaking Glass by Kirsten Warnersource (opens in a new tab)

Best First Book: General Non-Fiction

  1. We Can Make a Life by Chessie Henrysource (opens in a new tab)

Best First Book: Illustrated Non-Fiction

  1. Whatever it Takes: Pacific Films and John O’Shea 1948-2000 by John Reidsource (opens in a new tab)

Best First Book: Poetry

  1. Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibblesource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. This Mortal Boy by Fiona Kidmansource (opens in a new tab)

General Non-Fiction

  1. Hudson & Halls: The Food of Love by Joanne Draytonsource (opens in a new tab)

Illustrated Non-Fiction

  1. Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing by Sean Mallon and Sébastien Galliotsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Are Friends Electric? by Helen Heathsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Fiction

  1. All This by Chance by Vincent O’Sullivansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Cage by Lloyd Jonessource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The New Ships by Kate Duignansource (opens in a new tab)

General Non-Fiction

  1. Memory Pieces by Maurice Geesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. We Can Make a Life by Chessie Henrysource (opens in a new tab)
  3. With Them Through Hell: New Zealand Medical Services in the First World War by Anna Rogerssource (opens in a new tab)

Illustrated Non-Fiction

  1. Birdstories: A History of the Birds of New Zealand by Geoff Normansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Fight for the Forests: The Pivotal Campaigns that Saved New Zealand’s Native Forests by Paul Bensemannsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Wanted: The Search for the Modernist Murals of E. Mervyn Taylor by Bronwyn Holloway-Smithsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibblesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Facts by Therese Lloydsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. There’s No Place Like the Internet in Springtime by Erik Kennedysource (opens in a new tab)

Longlist

Fiction

  1. Caroline’s Bikini by Kirsty Gunnsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Mazarine by Charlotte Grimshawsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Ice Shelf by Anne Kennedysource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke by Tina Makeretisource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Life of De’Ath by Majella Cullinanesource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Man Who Would Not See by Rajorshi Chakrabortisource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Sound of Breaking Glass by Kirsten Warnersource (opens in a new tab)

General Non-Fiction

  1. Dear Oliver: Uncovering a Pākehā History by Peter Wellssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Filming the Colonial Past: The New Zealand Wars on Screen by Annabel Coopersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Song for Rosaleen by Pip Desmondsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Swim: A Year of Swimming Outdoors in New Zealand by Annette Leessource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Heart of Jesús Valentino by Emma Gilkisonsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Vulgar Wasp: The Story of a Ruthless Invader and Ingenious Predator by Phil Lestersource (opens in a new tab)

Illustrated Non-Fiction

  1. Down the Bay: A Natural and Cultural History of Abel Tasman National Park by Philip Simpsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Galleries of Maoriland: Artists, Collectors and the Māori World, 1880-1910 by Roger Blackleysource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Hillary’s Antarctica: Adventure, Exploration and Establishing Scott Base by Nigel Watson and Jane Usshersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Mataatua Wharenui: Te Whare i Hoki Mai by Hirini Mead, Layne Harvey, Pouroto Ngaropo and Te Onehou Phillissource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The New Zealand Horse by Deborah Coddington and Jane Usshersource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Whatever it Takes: Pacific Films and John O’Shea 1948-2000 by John Reidsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. All of Us by Adrienne Jansen and Carina Gallegossource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Aspiring Daybook: The Diary of Elsie Winslow by Annabel Wilsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Edgeland and Other Poems by David Eggletonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Farewell Tourist by Alison Glennysource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Walking to Jutland Street by Michael Stevensource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Winter Eyes by Harry Rickettssource (opens in a new tab)

About the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards

The New Zealand Book Awards ran as the Montana New Zealand Book Awards (2006-2009), the New Zealand Post Book Awards (2010-2014) and the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards (2016-2025). No awards were held in 2015. Year is the ceremony year. Winners and finalists for 2006-2014 come from Christchurch City Libraries award pages (fallback; the official site lists winners only for those years). 2016-2017 longlists and finalists come from the official longlist and finalist news releases, and winners from the official past-winners page. 2018-2025 come from the official per-year winners, shortlist and longlist pages. Categories keep stable names across sponsor renames: the Acorn and Jann Medlicott Acorn prizes are Fiction, the Mary and Peter Biggs Award is Poetry, the Royal Society and later General Non-Fiction Award is General Non-Fiction, and the Booksellers and BookHub awards are Illustrated Non-Fiction. The Montana-era Illustrative category is mapped to Illustrated Non-Fiction. Its other non-fiction categories (Biography, History, Environment, Lifestyle & Contemporary Culture, Reference & Anthology) stay as their own categories. From 2010 non-fiction was split into General and Illustrated. Best first book awards are their own categories: Hubert Church (Best First Book: Fiction), Jessie Mackay (Best First Book: Poetry), E.H. McCormick (Best First Book: Non-Fiction until 2014, then Best First Book: General Non-Fiction) and Judith Binney (Best First Book: Illustrated Non-Fiction, from 2016). Ockham best first book awards are drawn from the longlist and have no published shortlist, so only winners appear. Levels: Winner; Honor for the Montana fiction runners-up; Finalist for shortlisted books; Longlist for longlisted books not shortlisted (Ockham only). Excluded: the Montana Medals and Book of the Year (they duplicate a category winner), People's and Readers' Choice and Booksellers' Choice (public or trade votes), the Maori Language Award, the reviewer awards, and the separate children's and young adult awards, which are a different program. Iwi affiliations in brackets are dropped from author names. Title spellings follow the books where the source has typos.

Organization: New Zealand Book Awards Trust. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

The most recommended books of 2019

Shares the most books with