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Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2023

The 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards went to Home Theatre by ​Anthony Lapwood (Best First Book: Fiction), Grand: Becoming my Mother’s Daughter by Noelle McCarthy (Best First Book: General Non-Fiction) and Kai: Food Stories & Recipes from my Family Table by Christall Lowe (Best First Book: Illustrated Non-Fiction), with winners in 5 more categories. 20 books were finalists and 48 books made the longlist across 8 categories.

Winners

Best First Book: Fiction

  1. Home Theatre by ​Anthony Lapwoodsource (opens in a new tab)

Best First Book: General Non-Fiction

  1. Grand: Becoming my Mother’s Daughter by Noelle McCarthysource (opens in a new tab)

Best First Book: Illustrated Non-Fiction

  1. Kai: Food Stories & Recipes from my Family Table by Christall Lowesource (opens in a new tab)

Best First Book: Poetry

  1. We’re All Made of Lightning by Khadro Mohamedsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgeysource (opens in a new tab)

General Non-Fiction

  1. The English Text of the Treaty of Waitangi by Ned Fletchersource (opens in a new tab)

Illustrated Non-Fiction

  1. Jumping Sundays: The Rise and Fall of the Counterculture in Aotearoa New Zealand by Nick Bollingersource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised by Alice Te Punga Somervillesource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Fiction

  1. Better the Blood by Michael Bennettsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Kāwai: For Such a Time as This by Monty Soutarsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant by Cristina Sanderssource (opens in a new tab)

General Non-Fiction

  1. A Fire in the Belly of Hineāmaru: A Collection of Narratives about Te Tai Tokerau Tūpuna by Melinda Webber and Te Kapua O’Connorsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Downfall: The Destruction of Charles Mackay by Paul Diamondsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Grand: Becoming my Mother’s Daughter by Noelle McCarthysource (opens in a new tab)

Illustrated Non-Fiction

  1. Robin White: Something is Happening Here by Sarah Farrar, Jill Trevelyan and Nina Tongasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Secrets of the Sea: The Story of New Zealand’s Native Sea Creatures by Robert Vennellsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Te Motunui Epa by Rachel Buchanansource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. People Person by Joanna Chosource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Sedition by Anahera Maire Gildeasource (opens in a new tab)
  3. We’re All Made of Lightning by Khadro Mohamedsource (opens in a new tab)

Longlist

Fiction

  1. Chevalier & Gawayn: The Ballad of the Dreamer by Phillip Mannsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Down from Upland by Murdoch Stephenssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Home Theatre by ​Anthony Lapwoodsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. How to Loiter in a Turf War by Coco Solidsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Mary’s Boy, Jean-Jacques and other stories by Vincent O’Sullivansource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Fish by Lloyd Jonessource (opens in a new tab)

General Non-Fiction

  1. A History of New Zealand in 100 Objects by Jock Phillipssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Democracy in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Survival Guide by Geoffrey Palmer and Gwen Palmer Steedssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Empire City: Wellington Becomes the Capital of New Zealand by John E Martinsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Every Sign of Life: On Family Ground by Nicholas Lyon Gressonsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Gaylene’s Take: Her Life in New Zealand Film by Gaylene Prestonsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Lāuga: Understanding Samoan Oratory by Sadat Muaiavasource (opens in a new tab)
  7. So Far, For Now: On Journeys, Widowhood and Stories that are Never Over by Fiona Kidmansource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Road to Gondwana: In Search of the Lost Supercontinent by Bill Morrissource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Thief, Convict, Pirate, Wife: The Many Histories of Charlotte Badger by Jennifer Ashtonsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. You Probably Think This Song is About You by Kate Campsource (opens in a new tab)

Illustrated Non-Fiction

  1. I am Autistic by Chanelle Moriahsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Kai: Food Stories & Recipes from my Family Table by Christall Lowesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Nature Boy: The Photography of Olaf Petersen by Catherine Hammond and Shaun Higginssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Paradise Camp by Yuki Kihara and Natalie Kingsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art by Nigel Borellsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Tāngata Ngāi Tahu | People of Ngāi Tahu Volume Two by Helen Brown and Michael J Stevenssource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Echidna by Essa May Ranapirisource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Meat Lovers by Rebecca Hawkessource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Night School by Michael Stevensource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Super Model Minority by Chris Tsesource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Surrender by Michaela Keeblesource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Pistils by Janet Charmansource (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)

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