Festival New Zealand Writers

Jane Harper's Force of Nature meets the wild and atmospheric setting of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah in this twisty, stay-up-all-night thriller about family, love, and loyalty, and the fight for survival in the most beautiful but dangerous New Zealand wilderness. On the remote West Coast of the South Island, vast forests stretch out between mountain ranges and rugged...

The latest novel from Charlotte Grimshaw, best-selling author of The Mirror Book. A woman haunted by family denial, secrets and a shadowy figure . . . While her brother Cedric spirals into addiction, Alice Lidell finds herself confronted not only by his decline, but by memories of the past. From their chaotic Auckland childhood to her present day life, Alice...

In a sinisterly skewed version of England in 1979, thirteen-year-old triplets Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents of a New Forest home, part of the government’s Sycamore Scheme. Each day the boys must take medicine to protect themselves from a mysterious illness to which many of their friends have succumbed. Children who survive are allowed to move...

Rita considered the dead. Shut her eyes. Rolled their names around her brain. Stacked each person in order like folded laundry, warm and crisp from the sun. She wondered how her name would sound amongst them. In the rural reaches of Auckland, the women of the eclectic Gordon family gather for Christmas. They may push each other's buttons, but know...

What if we could redefine leadership? What if kindness came first? Jacinda Ardern grew up the daughter of a police officer in small-town New Zealand, but as the 40th Prime Minister of her country, she commanded global respect for her empathetic leadership that put people first. This is the remarkable story of how a Mormon girl plagued by self-doubt made...

Every Second Counts is a fascinating, fast-paced memoir by award-winning NZ journalist Charlotte Glennie, who survived life-changing injuries after a near-fatal accident. She went on to break new ground reporting across Asia during major world events, including military and political crackdowns and natural disasters. Set in New Zealand, Australia, Asia and Europe, this is the adrenaline-fuelled life of a journalist...

Mana. It's a big word. But what is it? Are you born with it, can you earn it, can it be taken away? For more than five decades, Tāme Iti has stood at the heart of Aotearoa's struggle for indigenous rights. From land marches to performance art, police raids to prison cells, his voice has challenged New Zealand to reckon...

In this empathetic and darkly funny memoir, Thomas Coyle one of New Zealand's most seasoned forensic investigators pulls back the police tape and walks us straight into the crime scenes. With sharp detail, he reveals how the tiniest fragment of evidence can expose a suspect, prove a motive, or confirm an identity. Sometimes, all at once. But crime scenes are...

The hilarious and heartfelt debut book from award-winning TV writer and comedian Pax Assadi A joyfully chaotic memoir about what we gain by embracing our shameful moments, from award-winning comedian and TV writer Pax Assadi.What do we lose by hiding our shame, and what do we gain by sharing it? From herding ducks across South Auckland to catastrophic culture shock...

Read our interview with author Noelle McCarthy! A darkly funny, sparkling follow-up to the author’s bestselling memoir Grand. You have to invite him in. You have to want the vampire’s badness in the house with you. Growing up in Catholic Ireland, Noelle McCarthy is captivated by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The vampire is a risk-free fantasy, a suave alternative to the fraught realities...

Novelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera – author of Pounamu, Pounamu and The Whale Rider – decided, at the age of eighty, to dive back into the water and spend a year full-time at Te Wānanga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo Māori. This book tells the story of this kaikaukau, this swimmer, and his year...

Bestselling author Nigel Latta's simple psychological toolkit for life's ups and downs. Over thirty years working as a clinical psychologist, Nigel Latta assembled a personal toolkit based on three simple principles. These principles helped him to be more resilient, joyful, and attuned to what matters most. The same principles have helped him through some difficult times as well, such as...

Vex is used to people being afraid of her special power, the ability to persuade others to do what she wants. But when she arrives at a new school, Tiebold Academy, it is packed with people who have the same special power as her, and who might even like her. There is her roommate Ronnie, a coolheaded high achiever, and...

Master your winning mindset with lessons from the life and career of coaching legend Gilbert Enoka. In a career spanning almost three decades, visionary psychological coach Gilbert Enoka changed the way the All Blacks played their game. With a 77% winning record in test match rugby, the highest of any professional sports team, they are the only international team to...

A mainstream, accessible guide to learning the Samoan language, for everyone. Fun, user-friendly and designed for modern readers, Jason Tiatia's Samoan Made Simple is a first-of-its-kind resource for anyone wanting to learn the basics of the Samoan Language. Based on the best-selling Maori Made Easy formula, Samoan Made Simple empowers readers to take control of their learning in short, buildable...

Aroha by Dr Hinemoa Elder is an enlightening exploration of timeless Maori wisdom, intricately woven into a contemporary context. This top-selling non-fiction title from New Zealand in 2021 introduces readers to 52 traditional Maori proverbs, known as whakataukī, each offering a profound lesson for every week of the year. Dr Elder, a respected Maori psychiatrist, delves into these powerful sayings...

The astonishing debut memoir about mothers and daughters, drinking, birth and loss, running away and homecoming from prize-winning writer and broadcaster Noelle McCarthy. "I'll be grand, girl, I've great faith." - Mammy, just before she died Funny, charismatic and generous; angry, vicious and hurt; in pub lounges all over Cork City, Noelle McCarthy's mother Carol rages against her life and...

It’s late 2020. Rikihana Wallace, a prolific shoplifter of no fixed abode, is back in prison with little chance of bail. Nathan Morley, unemployed, is facing burglary charges and hoping his other, as yet undetected, offences don’t catch up with him. Lewis Skerrett, their overstretched legal aid lawyer, is trying to do right by them both. The culmination of over...

An absorbing true crime account of years at the frontline of crime scene reconstruction - from cold-blooded killings and gang wars to cold cases revived by a single clue. A compelling account of Ruben Miller's years working as a forensic scientist, visiting crime scenes and gathering evidence. His detailed descriptions of what he sees are often heart-breaking. The behaviour of...

The Chief and the Empire uncovers the extraordinary true tale of Te Tai Tokerau rangatira Te Pahi - the first influential Māori leader to cross the Tasman - whose curiosity about the Pākehā world forged alliances, saved lives, and ultimately cost him his own. On a visit to Sydney in 1805, Te Pahi was feted as a celebrity, building close...

On the isolated island of Brack, the people live by an ancient bargain: every year, a sacrifice must be made to the Glimm, the creature that haunts the salt marshes. Eight years ago, it should have taken Lotta. Instead, the monster spared her and claimed her pony, shattering tradition and anointing her both folk hero and object of suspicion. Now...

Aotearoa has at least 2,200 native species of flowering plants that have evolved in our unique conditions, and the vast majority of them grow nowhere else on earth. This has made New Zealand a natural laboratory for studies of flower biology and a vibrant wonderland of gardens and bush for Māori and Pākehā to enjoy. He Puawai is a natural...

Nine Girls is a page-turning adventure from Stacy Gregg, one of Aotearoa's most internationally successful and locally awarded writers. An epic story woven with suspense by Pony Club Secrets and The Princess and the Foal author Stacy Gregg - winner of the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction! They dug a hole...

Wise, candid, brave and moving, this superbly written memoir by a New Zealand GP is reminiscent of the warm wisdom and humanity of the American physician and writer Atul Gawande. Over her long career, Dr Lucy O’Hagan has developed deep insights into the profound but often complex relationship between patients and doctors. Reading about her own struggle with what it...

From the best-selling author of Aroha, Wawata, Waitohu, and E Moko Dear Moko, comes a unique exploration of how to think about thinking, rooted in the wisdom of Māori culture. Dr Hinemoa Elder introduces us to a profound journey guided by Hinengaro, the Māori goddess of the mind, leading us through 23 specific rua, caves, into the unfamiliar depths of...

A Maori Word a Day by Hemi Kelly is an incredibly accessible and engaging resource designed to introduce and immerse New Zealanders of all ages into the beauty of the Maori language. This book acts as a unique and practical Maori dictionary that simplifies the learning process by presenting 365 carefully selected Maori words, each to be explored and learned...

Wawata - Moon Dreaming by Dr Hinemoa Elder invites readers on a transformative journey through the ancient wisdom of the Māori lunar calendar. This deeply insightful book introduces you to Hina, the Māori moon goddess, who reveals a different face each night of the month, bringing with her unique energies and lessons. Dr Elder, known for her bestselling work Aroha,...

Māori child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Hinemoa Elder has shaped her beloved book Aroha into this special collection of whakataukī and whakatauakī for mokopuna of all ages. Bestselling author of Aroha and respected Māori psychiatrist Dr Hinemoa Elder has written a special collection of whakataukī for tamariki mokopuna. Puanga kai rau. Puanga, the star signalling a time of the year...

Updated Edition 2025 This new edition contains a completely up-to-date timeline. Winner of four major awards.Brilliantly written by award-winning journalist Rebecca Macfie. 'Devastating account of a needless tragedy' - Otago Daily Times'Lucid, exhaustive, enraging' - New Zealand Listener'Compelling account of what went wrong' - Weekend Herald'Highly readable, sometimes shocking' - The Press'Compulsory reading for directors, managers and business students' -...

Hone shows us how to harness the (thankfully common) power of our own resilience to work our way through a horrible loss. The New York Times A recommended new book for those who are grieving... [Hone's] metaphor for life after loss is both powerful and apt: Think of it as a scattered jigsaw puzzle, where the pieces of one's former...

From the best-selling author of Aroha and Wawata comes a new and inspiring journal to help you make deeper connections using the energies of Hina, the Māori moon goddess, and the power of aroha. Kia ora! Welcome to Waitohu – a journal where the Māori lunar calendar invites us to write about our lives in a new way. This writing...

Violet and the Velvets can hardly believe they've come so far in the BandChamps competition with only hard work, a smidge of talent, and a whole lot of thinking outside the box. This time, they get to record their new song in a proper recording studio and star in their very own music video! But Violet is letting her perfectionism...

When Getwin, Lea and Buckle—with the help of Sharp the raven—unearth the trickster Book of Blacke, they embark on a quest to undo the controls on their world, seeking justice for the Scribes who are forced to work and for those who have never been allowed to read or write. The city of Wyle comes alive with danger and intrigue...

A Maori Phrase a Day by Hemi Kelly is a modern, user-friendly phrasebook designed for all New Zealanders who wish to connect more deeply with the Māori language and culture. This book offers a delightful and accessible entry point into te reo Māori, presenting 365 phrases that cover everyday life and aims to build an enriching language learning journey through...

The Case of the Angry Ghost: Violet and the Velvets Book 2 by Rachael King follows Violet and her band as they make it to BandChamps! Armed with their own songs, they're competing alongside their school rivals, The Alphas, for glory. But wait! Strange goings-on are afoot at the Royal Theatre, where it's rumoured a grumpy ghost ballerina haunts the...

Everywhere, the birds: sparrows and skylarks and thrushes, starlings and bellbirds, fantails and pipits – but above them all and louder, the magpies. We are here and this is our tree and we’re staying and it is ours and you need to leave and now. Tama is just a helpless chick when he is rescued by Marnie, and this is...

Meet Violet Grumble: a music-loving, guitar-toting tween whose dream is to compete at BandChamps. The problem is that none of her friends can play an instrument. Violet won't let that stop her! But things get tougher when the band's gear starts to go missing - what's going on? Can Violet solve the mystery and harness her ADHD powers? Can she...

Black Sugarcane is a landmark debut collection by Nafanua Purcell Kersel. Restless in form and address, these engaging and generous poems ricochet from light to dark, quiet to loud, calm to violence. We meet a loved twin sister as she dives towards the Sacred Centre, a grandmother who knows everything by heart, a shrugging office clerk, and Nafanua herself, an...

Long ago, Ataraxia was a magical, united nation where dragons lived in harmony. Now, the three dragon tribes—Cliffs, Fireflys, and Ferns—are divided and live in fear, hiding from monsters like the ferocious Blade Wolf. King Cliff rules the Cliff dragons with an iron fist and will stop at nothing to keep his tribe the strongest. Firefly sister dragons Dessa and...

Te Motu Kairangi Miramar Peninsula, Wellington 1912. Doctor Matti Loverock spends her days and nights bringing babies into the world, which means her daughters—seven-year-old triplets Ada, Oona and Hanna—have grown up at Wonderland, the once-thriving amusement park owned by their father, Charlie. Then a grieving woman arrives to stay from the other side of the world, in pain and incognito,...

Born into love but then thrust into violence, and shaped by struggle, Timoti Te Moke was never destined to be a leader. After an early start as a bright boy in the eastern Bay of Plenty, nurtured by his reo Māori-speaking grandparents, Timoti's life changed sharply when his mother took custody of him when he was six. He survived abuse,...

Fifty Years of the Waitangi Tribunal celebrates decisions, results and reports of the Waitangi Tribunal over half a century. The Waitangi Tribunal has been a unique and integral part of the Aotearoa New Zealand judicial and legislative process, upholding te Tiriti o Waitangi and providing expertise on historical claims, Maori language, land, resources and contemporary issues.This collection contains chapters on...

New and exclusive writing plus the very best of the past five years from the award-winning The Spinoff, New Zealand's hilarious, original, must-read media website. Five years ago, The Spinoff burst onto New Zealand's media scene with smart, screamingly funny and seriously relevant writing. Since then, it has enraged and inspired all the right people, respectably won Website of the...

The Great War for New Zealand by Vincent O'Malley is an authoritative and stirring account of a pivotal chapter in New Zealand history. This monumental work delves into the Waikato War of 1863-64, a conflict that profoundly shaped the course of the nation. O'Malley meticulously chronicles the origins, impact, and aftermath of this significant war, providing readers with a comprehensive...

Three friends and a one-eyed raven find themselves up against the rulers who restrict the gifts of writing and reading to an elite few. They must go on a wild and unpredictable rescue mission. Who and what will they meet along their way? And what is the terrible truth behind everything they think they know about their world? 'You will...

A beautiful picture book retelling of Witi Ihimaera's bestselling novel The Whale Rider, illustrated by Bruce Potter. Witi Ihimaera's bestselling novel The Whale Rider is retold in a beautifully illustrated picture book format for young readers. From the time of her birth, Kahu is destined to become the leader of her tribe in the East Coast village of Whangara. But...

DI Nyree Bradshaw and her team have their work cut out for them once again. Local woman Lizzy Bean has been found dead, garrotted with a piece of wire. Lizzy's property, a 1970s beach house overlooking a pristine Northland bay, is overflowing with rubbish. Inside, the house is even worse. As Nyree and her team delve into the case, clues...

Like every other girl in her class, twelve-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher, and longs to be her pet. However, when a thief begins to target the school, Justine's sense that something isn't quite right grows ever stronger. With each twist of the plot, this gripping story of deception and the corrosive power of guilt takes...

A lively story with stunning illustrations that reveals the tradition of Matariki. The Astromancer is looking for four new apprentices to learn about Matariki and the Maramataka calendar. She chooses three boys and an orphan girl, Aria, who will come only if she can bring her smelly dog. Aria, though, is bored by the lessons, and she doesn't want to...

A classic novel that became a classic film. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision: 'We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low...

The pivotal year of 1870 brought down the curtain on the redcoat garrison world at both the metropolitan and colonial ends of the empire... In fewer than forty years, less than a lifetime, Aotearoa had gone from being a Maori world in which rangatira dominated, to a colony in which the settler state was in control of the economy, politics...

Te Kokorangi 1: Te Kokorangi is Witi Ihimaera's lively Matariki story, known as The Astromancer, translated into te reo Māori by Heni Jacob. E kimi ana a Te Kokorangi i etahi pia hou tokowha hei ako i nga korero o Matariki me te maramataka. Kowhiria ana etahi tama tokotoru, me tetahi kotiro, he pani, ko Aria te ingoa. Tohe ana...

Moving, insightful, lyrical, and at times very funny, this novel is a supple, disarmingly frank exploration of parenthood. Liam and Iris have one son—Billy, a bright toddler puddling about like a penguin, leaving surrealist art installations all over the house—a tiny cow in a teapot in a hat on the doorstep, of course! A stuffed crocodile in a silk camisole...

A Aria me te Atua o te Kūmara is the gripping sequel to The Astromancer - translated into te reo Maori by Hēni Jacob. Koia tēnei, ko te paki whakaihiihi e whai mai ana i Te Kokorangi. Noho morearea ana nga ra ki tua - kua mauheretia a Te Kokorangi e te hoariri kino, e Ruatapu, waihoki, e matemate katoa...

Welcome to our story, this history. Whichever part of the world the bones of your ancestors lie, wherever their ashes may have been dispersed, here you will find traces of them, and of yourself. It is a story of colonisation and resistance – and a history that has never stopped repeating itself. The New Zealand Wars of the mid-nineteenth century...

The Water's Dead by Catherine Lea is a gripping thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Detective Inspector Nyree Bradshaw is called to investigate a chilling case – a body is found floating in the river, face down. As Nyree delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers a series of dark secrets that threaten to tear...

'Splendidly inventive, expertly controlled, full of passion and compassion, and a narrative I would give four fingernails to have thought of.' — David Hill 'A compelling and lovingly crafted novel.' — David Mitchell The same evening Josh Underhill went missing, the black horse appeared on the hill above the house. Thirteen-year-old Ella knows that words are powerful. So she should...

The New Zealand Wars | Nga Pakanga o Aotearoa by Vincent O'Malley delves into one of the most significant series of conflicts in New Zealand's history. This comprehensive work meticulously examines the wars that were fought between the British Crown and various Māori groups from 1845 to 1872. Through vivid narrative and incisive analysis, O'Malley brings to life the battles...

Marketing executive Alison Morris bets her reputation on a project to sell empathy in a perfume bottle. Her husband, Jim, is inspired to try a similar thing in a game he’s developing—sinking all their money into EmPath, where people progress by learning to understand one another without direct communication. All at once, Alison’s fragrance develops dangerous effects and Jim’s game...

‘What does “good” look like – and how do we build it?’ Aotearoa New Zealand is grappling with tough economic questions. Inequality is rising, the cost of living is biting, and many feel left behind. Despite talk of recovery and progress, there’s a growing sense that the system isn’t working – at least, not for everyone. In The Good Economy,...

Fibs, porkies, little white lies, absolute whoppers and criminal evasions: the ways we can deceive each other are legion. Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit, the new collection by Ōtepoti poet and writer Emma Neale, is fascinated by our doubleness. Prompted by the rich implications in a line from Joseph Brodsky—'The real history of consciousness starts with one's first lie'—it combines a...

A little book containing so much — a novella, history, eyewitness reports, Māori translation, verse, and images. Both fiction and fact, this fascinating book is a kaleidoscopic exploration of the Battle of Orakau. During three days in 1864, 300 Māori men, women, and children fought an Imperial army and captured the imagination of the world. The battle marked the end...

A full-colour illustrated chapter book for readers 6 years plus that returns to the exciting magical world of the Astromancer! Will headstrong Aria manage the impossible climb up to the stars and free Te Kokorangi from Ruatapu's clutches before time runs out? Enter the exciting and dangerous world of the Astromancer... This epic magical adventure inspired by Māori mythology is...

Pounamu Pounamu by Witi Ihimaera is a timeless collection that captures the essence and spirit of Māori culture and New Zealand life. First published in 1972, this compelling anthology of stories marks Ihimaera's debut into the literary world, offering readers a profound and insightful portrayal of his experiences and the rich cultural tapestry of his homeland. Set against the backdrop...

Growing up behind the family façade. Brave, explosive, and thought-provoking, this is a powerful memoir from a critically acclaimed writer. 'It's material, make a story out of it,' was the mantra Charlotte Grimshaw grew up with in her famous literary family. But when her life suddenly turned upside-down, she needed to re-examine the reality of that material. The more she...

From award-winning picture book creator Ruth Paul comes a new series about a plucky dolphin called Little Hector and his BIG adventures. A gorgeous new picture book for young children to find out all about the tiny and endangered Hector's dolphin. Introducing Little Hector and the Big Blue Whale! A small but daring dolphin, Little Hector swims out into the...

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, a wave of state-sponsored 'national fitness' programmes swept Britain and its former colonies. Following revelations of the Nazi enthusiasm for government-backed sports and the organisation of mass leisure, the programmes quickly foundered. They probably laid, however, the foundations for the twentieth century's obsession with fitness— a key facet of modern life. In this...

The stunning biography of one of New Zealand's most electrifying and controversial women leaders. When Helen Kelly died on a Wellington spring night in October 2016, with her partner by her side and a bunch of peonies, the first of the season, by her bed, Aotearoa New Zealand lost an extraordinary leader. Kelly was the first female head of the...

'A story of grit and determination from a woman who writes the way she lives - fiercely, with passion and in full colour.' - Michele A'Court 'There are times, admittedly rare, when a book comes along that needs only one word to evaluate it. In the case of Bloody Minded, that word is "WOW"... Unquestionably it must be a hot...