​Books that explore issues of identity, domestic life, war, food, our natural world and our people are among the 40 works of poetry, prose and non-fiction longlisted for the 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards announced today.
The works, selected from 179 entries, range from intimate to global in scale and traverse cultural, historic, artistic and imagined landscapes.

There are 13 first-time authors among the long-listees, a testament to the vibrancy of our country’s literature says New Zealand Book Awards trustee Jenna Todd. 

“There is such vitality in this year’s longlist, demonstrated by a diverse group, and including young and first-time authors. Half of this year’s Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction longlistees are debut novelists, which is extraordinary. They sit alongside some of our greatest living writers.

“There’s a year’s worth of reading here for those seeking considered perspectives on our modern zeitgeist, for readers wanting to be wowed by the beauty of art and nature, or for those wanting to escape into imagined realities.
“With writing and publishing of this calibre, it’s no surprise that New Zealand’s book boom continues.”

Revenue from sales of New Zealand-published adult books captured by Nielsen BookScan in 2020 was up 12.5 percent on the year before, despite the challenges of the pandemic. Submissions to the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have increased by 16 percent over the last two years.

The Awards also attracted a new sponsor this year. Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand has secured naming rights to the Illustrated Non-Fiction category for the next five years.

Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand chair Juliet Blyth says the association – which celebrates its centenary this year – is beyond delighted to support the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, and the authors and illustrators who contribute so much to our cultural life. “Booksellers around the country hold these awards in high esteem, and the impact the awards have on sales of New Zealand books is immediate.

“Throughout 2020, booksellers around the country enjoyed the support of many New Zealanders reading more and buying locally. We wanted to demonstrate our appreciation, on behalf of our members, by giving back to the industry, the writers, the illustrators and the publishers who have created so many wonderful stories for booksellers to put on their shelves,” says Ms Blyth.
 
The 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards longlisted works are: ​

The 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards shortlist of 16 titles will be announced on 3 March 2021. The winners, including the four MitoQ Best First Book awards, will be announced at a public ceremony on 12 May during the 2021 Auckland Writers Festival.  

To find out more about the longlisted titles go to http://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards/2021-awards/longlist/

The Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, which offers $57,000 to the winner in 2021, will be judged by writer and reviewer Kiran Dass; books editor and award-winning feature writer Paul Little; and writer Claire Finlayson, former Programme Director of the Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival. They will be joined by an international judge, whose identity will be revealed in March 2021, to decide the ultimate winner from their shortlist of four.
 
Finalists and the ultimate winner in the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry will be selected by writer, poet, academic and 2018 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards finalist Briar Wood (Te Hikutu ki Hokianga, Ngāpuhi Nui); teacher and award-winning poet and novelist Anne Kennedy; and professor of English at the University of Otago Jacob Edmond.
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The Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction will be judged by Dale Cousens (Ngāruahine) of the National Library of New Zealand; bookseller and former publisher Brian Phillips; and writer, multi-award-winning graphic designer and magazine art director Jenny Nicholls.
 
The General Non-Fiction Award will be judged by editor and associate professor of English at the University of Waikato Sarah Shieff; filmmaker and lecturer in Māori history at Victoria University Wellington Arini Loader (Ngāti Raukawa, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Ngāti Whakaue); and Dunedin bookseller Michael Yeomans.
 
The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are supported by Ockham Residential, Creative New Zealand, Jann Medlicott and the Acorn Foundation, Mary and Peter Biggs CNZM, MitoQ, Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand and the Auckland Writers Festival.

Kete (www.ketebooks.co.nz) was developed in July 2020 thanks to a grant from Creative New Zealand to provide a place for New Zealand books to be listed and reviewed. It was initially conceived as we watched numerous magazines disappear, threatening to leave NZ books out of our daily lives. Thankfully, post lock-down, things are looking a little more positive for the books of Aotearoa with a number of key magazines returning to the market and new publications starting up. However, we still see value in providing a place for the books of Aotearoa to be showcased alongside the work of other authors from Aotearoa.
 
And we continue to be a place for reviews of local work. Dionne Christian (former deputy editor of Canvas and Arts/Books Editor for the New Zealand Herald) is the Reviews Editor for Kete. She is always keen to hear from people with a specialist interest in or knowledge of Aotearoa books who are keen to review or compile helpful articles directing readers to our country’s books.
 
Kete aims to translate approximately 25% of its reviews into te reo Māori, a service which may be of interest to library users.
 
The Coalition for Books – which manages Kete – is an organisation formed in 2019 encompassing a number of key organisations in literature in Aotearoa. As such, the Coalition has been successful in accessing funding to continue review work for Kete in the first half of 2021 (at least), which means that reviewers are remunerated for their work. Prospective reviewers should contact Dionne Christian at reviews@ketebooks.co.nz with a brief background paragraph, outlining relevant qualifications or experience, specific interests or expertise (e.g. specific genre of interest, science fiction, young adult fiction, etc.) and – if available – a sample (or link to a piece) of their written work.  She is especially keen to hear from those with an interest in Young Adult and science fiction/speculative fiction.
 
The Coalition has an agreement with Stuff that means reviews from Kete are reproduced in print and online by Stuff, and therefore all reviewers are asked to sign a contract outlining the standard fees for 400-600 word and 1000+ word reviews, along with acceptance that the copyright of reviews belongs with the Coalition, the moral right is the reviewers, and that the Coalition may share
the Review with other publishers, in which case the Coalition will require the Reviewer be attributed, but the Reviewer will not be entitled to further payment or royalty.
 
The parties acknowledge that there may be re-publication on social media and accept that the Coalition has no responsibility for the adequacy of attribution in those circumstances. All reviewers are paid on acceptance of the review for publication by Dionne Christian.
 
Reviews can be submitted in a variety of forms – personal response is welcome (see examples here: https://www.ketebooks.co.nz/all-book-reviews/nouns-verbs-etc-fiona-farrell and https://www.ketebooks.co.nz/all-book-reviews/navigating-the-stars-witi-ihimaera-www.ketebooks.co.nz/all-book-reviews/navigating-the-stars-witi-ihimaera-lmz9z ) and a positioning of the work in question within the NZ literary landscape is always welcome. Kete is designed for the average reader of New Zealand books – we aim to highlight new publications on a regular basis, and list all recently published books in New Zealand as per data from Nielsen. We will also add in details for self-published works if authors/publishers contact us but encourage everyone to ensure they list details of their work with Nielsen for accuracy and completeness.
 
The search function under New Books is worth playing around with as we try to tag books with as many useful identifiers as we can.
 
You can also subscribe to the Kete weekly newsletter which highlights new publications, new reviews on Kete, and new reviews elsewhere in the media of New Zealand books. Kete also publishes the latest bestseller lists for New Zealand books on a weekly basis, and this is included in the newsletter on a Thursday lunchtime.
 
Kete also houses a calendar of literary events which may be of use to local libraries.
 
We are always open to suggestions from users and contributors – and we look forward to hearing from the libraries of Aotearoa!
 
 

​The name is based on the pepeha and waiata written by Whia Bella Tarawhiti for Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa 
​
Kōkiri, kōkiri, kōkiri!
Whakarongo ake au ki ngā reo o te motu
E karanga mai ana
Huakina mai ngā tatau o tō whare
Kia Mahi Tahi tātou, kia inu ai mātou
I Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa

The message from the people clearly asks us to open our doors so that we may work together and share the information held in Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa. The title is a unique and original compound word that illuminates the role of the National Librarian as on the slide. 

A whakamana is not as formal as a whakatau, colleagues were able to come forward and talk about their hopes for the national library and for me in the role. This photo montage is of a few of those who spoke, including Anahera Morehu and Ana Pickering who spoke for LIANZA. 

It really felt like there was a change moving me from Director of Content Services into this new role. I also got a chance to speak. In my speech, I said three things: I thanked my colleagues and my family; I acknowledged the role of libraries and the importance they have in our society – the contribution they can make to our communities; and the third thing was my commitment. My commitment to being in the role and my commitment to the National Library team. I committed to working in partnership; to keep learning; and to be honest and courageous.

​Then I asked my colleagues to do the same, particularly to be honest and courageous because when you are in a role like National Librarian you can’t do your best if you are working in isolation and if people aren’t telling you the things that you need to hear.

​So, like I did at my whakamana, I am committing to those same things with the library community, with the library sector. I am committing to work in partnership; I am committing to keep learning and I am committing to being honest and courageous. I need you to do the same. I need you to work with me, because I can’t be that stalwart and mentor without help from all of you.

This photograph shows Honiana Love, Pou Ārahi of Nga Taonga Sound & Vision, and Courtney Johnson who’s the CE of Te Papa, and myself. I think it signals a change – it wasn’t that long ago that those roles were filled with a different demographic. ​

Role of the Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa
​
The National Library is more than just a concrete bunker in Wellington; it’s more than just the services that we provide; it is part of a network of libraries in Aotearoa (I like to think it is a vital part); it’s part of an international network of libraries. The national Library was built in 1965. It amalgamated the Alexander Turnbull Library, School Library Services, and the General Assembly Library. It’s currently structured into five areas: Content Services; Services to Schools, DigitalNZ, Alexander Turnbull Library; and our public engagement team, who connect the knowledge in the collections with communities.
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According to the National Library Act, the purpose of the National Library
Purpose of National Library is:

This last part in particular sets where we are. We are not just that concrete monolith; we are not just that network of services; we are part of the fabric of libraries in Aotearoa and libraries across the world. 

​Again – I am particularly interested co-operation. Because we are a small country, so we have some resourcing challenges but we also have opportunities to work together. We are not like Australia, where they have a State and Federal system, which can make things a bit difficult. We actually have some extraordinary opportunities. I said this to the national Library team, when it was announced that I had the role, “I think our time is now”. I think we can leverage things like Tāhuhu, like the NZLPP, the reading ambassador – we’ve got investment, we’ve got the certainty of a government governing alone for the next few years and a government that is supportive of libraries. Let’s work together to make the most of it! 

There will be some challenges – copyright will be a gnarly one but we can contribute to that conversation. Workforce development is an ongoing thing – we want diversity in our libraries, we want them to be reflecting our communities and that’s an ongoing challenge. We also have the National Digitisation Strategy, digital preservation as a service and open access strategies. But I also see all these challenges as opportunities.