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Call for Judges in the 2016 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults

By Media Releases
NZ Book Awards ChildrensIssued October 15 2015
Media Release – for immediate RELEASE
 
Call for Judges in the 2016 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
Experts in children’s literature are once again being sought to help judge the prestigious New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The call for judges opens today and closes on October 30. The selected judges’ work will begin in November when the first wave of entries in the awards begins to arrive.
A total of three judges are sought and the New Zealand Book Awards Trust, which governs the awards, is confident that terrific candidates will step forward and be selected. “We’ve always been delighted by the calibre and dedication of our judges,” says Trust chair Nicola Legat. “It’s a very substantial job which involves hours of work, but they’ve always risen to the challenge because they believe in the power and importance of books and stories written by New Zealand writers for New Zealand children.”
Application forms and background information can be downloaded from  http://booksellers.co.nz/awards/new-zealand-childrens-book-awards/2015-call-judges,or please email childrensawards@bookawards.org.nz.
 
ENDS
For further information please email childrensawards@bookawards.org.nz

New Zealand literature boosted by new contract for international and national development

By Media Releases, News

 

 

Creative New Zealand media release

12 October 2015

New Zealand literature boosted by new contract for international and national development

The international profile and sales of New Zealand literature and the development of the national publishing sector will be boosted over the next three financial years by a new contract awarded by Creative New Zealand.

The Publishers’ Association of New Zealand (PANZ) has been contracted to deliver a range of initiatives to increase the international sales and profile of New Zealand literature and authors and to develop networks which will help to achieve these results.

It will administer translation and international travel funds, support New Zealand’s presence at major international book fairs, and host international publishers in New Zealand as part of Creative New Zealand’s international visitors’ programme, Te Manu Ka Tau.

“The development of international markets for New Zealand literature is crucial. We need to maximize and leverage the interest in our authors off-shore and PANZ is best placed to do this,” said Senior Manager for International Programmes Cath Cardiff.

“Our aim is to have one organisation developing and delivering an integrated programme so there is an overarching view and strategy for raising the profile and readership of our literature overseas.

“This was one of the recommendations of our review of Creative New Zealand’s support for literature which was approved by the Arts Council in February this year,” she said.

PANZ has also been contracted to deliver a national publishing internship initiative to support and develop emerging practitioners who are aiming for a career in publishing. The initiative will support three internships, at a minimum of eight weeks, annually from the beginning of 2016.

Creative New Zealand will invest $540,000 in the international initiatives and $90,000 in the publishing internships over the next three years up to 2017/18.

Creative New Zealand’s Review of Literature was published in March 2015.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Sarah Pomeroy
Senior Communications Adviser, Creative New Zealand
T +64 4 498 0725| M +64 27 677 8070
sarah.pomeroy@creativenz.govt.nz

CLNZ adds $50,000 per year to the Cultural Fund for the next three years

By Media Releases, News

CLNZ Cultural fund logoCLNZ adds $50,000 per year to the Cultural Fund for the next three years

• $25,000 for new writers’ award to open in 2016
• contestable funding increased – application process now open 

The CLNZ Cultural Fund has a new three-year plan that will make significant investments in New Zealand writing and publishing. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Fund has been allocated an additional $50,000 per year. This additional money is not from domestic licensing revenue but from overseas revenue that is non-title specific.

The new investment plan adds to the existing programmes run through the Cultural Fund and responds to feedback from the New Zealand writing community and the publishing industry on the Cultural Fund programmes.

The objectives of the Cultural Fund are to:
• protect – writers and publishers’ ability to earn  revenue from their works
• support – the creation and production of new works and assist the commercial success of New Zealand works
• grow – the number of works created and skills in the industry

Cultural Fund programme overview 2016–18
Over the next three years, while the investment plan is place, the full Cultural Fund programme of activities to meet these objectives will comprise:
• CLNZ/NZSA Research Grantsmore information
• Contestable fund: more information below
• PANZ Training Fundmore information
• Publishing industry economic impact reports
• Tertiary scholarships: these scholarships to tertiary students are under development
• Writers’ award: a new writers’ award will open in 2016, more information below
New writers’ award to open in 2016
As part of our Cultural Fund three-year investment plan, CLNZ is establishing a new award for writers. This will open in 2016 and one award of $25,000 will be made to a writer each year for the next three years. Feedback from the writing community has made it clear that awards that give writers the time to write are valued and necessary. The new award has been developed in recognition of this feedback.

The new award will feature broad and inclusive criteria to allow writers across a variety of genres, including those with an educational focus, to apply.

A full set of criteria and application dates for this award will be made available in early 2016.
Contestable funding application process open for 2015
Updates to the contestable funding process have also been made as part of the Cultural Fund’s new three year investment plan and we are now inviting applications for 2015 funding.

Inviting applications for 2015 contestable funding
• the application deadline is 5.00 p.m. on 20 November
• click here for an application form, and here for guidelines 

Project and applicant eligibility are set out in the contestable fund guidelines.
Please read the guidelines carefully before applying.

Funding available
The total annual level of funding available has increased to a minimum of $60,000. This will be made available through one application process per year.

The funding requested in your application should be appropriate for the scale and reach of the project and take into account contributions from any partners or other funders.

The number of successful projects will vary from year-to-year and will depend on the individual merits of the applications received.

Global Ed publisher Tracy Strudley a Finalist in NEXT Woman of the Year

By Media Releases, News

MEDIA RELEASE: For immediate release

 

Tracy Strudley newIt has just been announced that Global Ed publisher Tracy Strudley is a Finalist in the Education category of the NEXT Woman of the Year Awards 2015, in association with Pandora.

Now in their sixth year, these awards celebrate the achievements of New Zealand women who are excelling in their respective fields. The 30 finalists for this year’s awards were shortlisted across six major categories: Arts & Culture; Sport; Business & Innovation; Health & Science; Education; and Community. Tracy Strudley is profiled along with the other finalists in the October issue of NEXT magazine.

Strudley said, “I am hugely honoured to be chosen as a Finalist in the Education category of these prestigious Awards. My philosophy is that all children around the world have the right to become lifelong readers, which is why I am passionate about delivering exceptional products that help switch them on to reading. Knowing that my nomination will help shine a light on literacy and reading makes me feel incredibly proud.”

The categories will be judged by NEXT editor Sarah Henry; Minister for Women Louise Upston; and Geoff Ross, Chairman of Trilogy International and CEO of Moa Brewing Company. The category winners and overall NEXT Woman of the Year will be announced at the awards event in Auckland on October 8, and will feature in the November issue of NEXT magazine.

Tracy Strudley has more than 18 years’ publishing experience in international sales and marketing and for the past nine years has been the Sales and Marketing Director of Global Ed, a leading educational resource publishing company. Strudley co-founded Global Ed with literacy educator and bestselling author, Jill Eggleton QSO.

Prior to 2006, Studley was Sales and Marketing Manager for Reed Publishing, which included the Heinemann Education list. In this role she was responsible for the domestic market and exporting resources internationally. In her role at Global Ed, Strudley exports children’s literacy material to more than 30 countries worldwide. Key Links literacy is a major brand for Global Ed and in 2013 it was a finalist in the Best Product or Resource in Primary Education category, as well as a finalist in the export category. Global Ed’s Connectors series, distributed by Scholastic UK, has just become their most successful reading programme.

In April 2015, Strudley and Eggleton launched Bud-e Digital Ltd in conjunction with edtech studio Custard Square.  This partnership heralds the arrival of a range of pioneering digital and print products into the local and international markets, including North America, Asia and Australia. Having made their foray into trade publishing with Bud-e Digital, Strudley and Eggleton recently launched new imprint JillE Books, and are now in the throes of launching educational publishing company Code-Ed.

Tracy Strudley lives in Auckland with her family and volunteers her time to a number of non-profit organisations, including PANZ.

TRACY STRUDLEY IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW

Media contact: Sarah Thornton / 021 753744 / sarah.thornton@prcomms.com / www.globaled.co.nz

Publishers Association of New Zealand Condemns Book Banning

By Media Releases, News

PANZ logo

The Publishers Association of New Zealand condemns the ban on the sale and distribution of Ted Dawe’s Into the River.

As an Association we stand behind the right of Ted Dawe to assert his freedom of expression through his prize-winning words, the right of his publisher Penguin Random House to sell and distribute them, and especially the right of readers to access and enjoy his much-lauded novel.

PANZ President, Melanie Laville-Moore stated, “Into the River is a highly regarded piece of literature, charged with influencing and changing the lives of many of its teenage male readers. This is an unprecedented and extreme action by the Film and Literature Board of Review. Banning books is not the New Zealand way.”

The Association applauds the New Zealand writing, library and bookseller communities for standing firm on this most important of issues. PANZ calls for a review of current legislation and encourages others to request the same.

Ends

 

For media enquiries please contact PANZ Association Director Anne de Lautour

Email: anne@publishers.org.nz

Ph: +64 9 280 3212

Mob: +64 21 646 311

Ockham Book Awards logo

 2016 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards judges announced

By Media Releases, News

MEDIA RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Ockham Book Awards logoThe 2016 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards will be judged by 12 eminent academics, writers, journalist, commentators, former publishers and booksellers from around New Zealand; a three-fold increase on the number of judges in previous years which reflects the Awards’ new judging structure.

Each of the Awards’ four categories – Fiction, Poetry, General Non-Fiction and Illustrated Non-Fiction – and the awards for Best First Book  in those categories, will be judged by a panel of three judges, all specialists in their fields. A Maori language adviser will judge the Maori Language Award.

The judges will announce their longlist finalists on November 25, 2015, and their shortlist on March 8, 2016.

New Zealand Book Awards Trust chairwoman, Nicola Legat, says the judges selected for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are second-to-none.

“Authors and publishers can expect to receive the rigour and respect from this year’s line-up that their books deserve. Rather than four judges reading 150 or more books, as has been the case previously, these specialists will read only the books in their category, allowing for a more detailed examination of the works,” she says.

The Fiction category, whose $50,000 prize is now known as The Acorn Foundation Literary Award, will be judged by distinguished writer Owen Marshall CNZM; Wellington bookseller and reviewer Tilly Lloyd, and former Director of the Auckland Writers Festival and Creative New Zealand senior literature adviser Jill Rawnsley.

The Poetry Prize will be judged by former Auckland University Press publisher Elizabeth Caffin MNZM; James K Baxter expert Dr Paul Millar, of the University of Canterbury, and poet and University of Auckland academic Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh.

The General Non-Fiction Prize will be judged by Metro Editor-At-Large Simon Wilson; Professor Lydia Wevers, literary historian, critic and director of the Stout Research Centre at Victoria University of Wellington, and Dr Jarrod Gilbert, a former Book Awards winner for Patched: A History of Gangs in New Zealand, of the University of Canterbury.

The Illustrated Non-Fiction Prize will be judged by former publisher Jane Connor, publisher of the magisterial The Trees of New Zealand, which won the Book of the Year award in 2012; Associate Professor Linda Tyler, Director of the Centre for Art Studies at The University of Auckland, and Leonie Hayden, the editor of Mana magazine.

“It’s always an honour to be invited to judge these prestigious and important awards but also a major commitment of time.” says Ms Legat. “So we are enormously grateful that these very busy and skilled people are happy to demonstrate their support for the awards by diving in to months of reading and debate. We very much look forward to their final longlist, shortlist and winner selections.”

The winners will be announced on May 10, 2016, at an event at the Auckland Writers Festival.

Entries to the 2016 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards can be made via http://booksellers.co.nz/awards/new-zealand-book-awards/submissions . Books published between June 1, 2014 and December 21, 2015 are eligible for entry.

The New Zealand Book Awards is enormously grateful to the generosity of its partners: Ockham Residential, The Acorn Foundation and enduring funder Creative New Zealand.

ENDS

For interview opportunities and further information please contact: Penny Hartill, director, hPR 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, penny@hartillpr.co.nz

 

Editor’s Notes:

The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country’s premier literary honours for works written by New Zealanders. After a one year hiatus, the awards will return in 2016 thanks to sponsorship from Auckland property development company, Ockham Residential. The partnership, along with news of the awards’ new structure was announced last month. In July this year, the awards received a $50,000 windfall, earmarked for the top fiction work, from Tauranga community organisation, The Acorn Foundation, on behalf of one of its donors.

First established in 1968 as the Wattie Book Awards (later the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards), they have also been known as the Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Book Awards. The honours, now given for Fiction, Illustrated Non-fiction, General Non-Fiction and Poetry, as well as for Best First Book and Māori language, are governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust (a registered charity).  Members of the Trust are Nicola Legat, Karen Ferns, Paula Morris, Kyle Mewburn, Stella Chrysostomou, David Bowles and Julia Marshall. Creative New Zealand is a significant annual funder of the awards.

The Trust also administers the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and National Poetry Day.

 

New Zealand Book Awards Return with Major Fiction Prize

By Media Releases, News

NZ Book Awards TrustAfter a 12-month hiatus, the country’s premier book awards will return in 2016 with a new structure, a new judging process and a significant, annual fiction prize of $50,000.

The New Zealand Book Awards winners will be announced at an event during the country’s largest literary gathering – the Auckland Writers Festival – in May 2016.

The New Zealand Book Awards Trust chair, Nicola Legat, says she is delighted to announce the changes, and in particular the major fiction award, which is provided by the Acorn Foundation, through the generosity of one of its donors.

“It creates a tremendous and lasting literary legacy. The sum of $50,000 will be awarded to the top fiction work annually, in perpetuity. This will make a difference not only to the receiving writer, but also to the literary fabric of New Zealand. It is a huge gift for us all.”

The Acorn Foundation is a Western Bay of Plenty-based community foundation that encourages people to leave bequests in their wills, or gifts during their lifetimes.

Acorn Foundation’s Operation’s Manager, Margot McCool, says it is humbling to witness such generosity.

“Since 2003 we have been encouraging generosity, so that people who really care about their community can fulfil their wish of enabling organisations and causes they believe in. We are so pleased that this award will make such a difference to New Zealand novelists’ careers,” says Mrs McCool.

In addition to an annual fiction winner, there will be a poetry, a general non-fiction and an illustrated non-fiction winner and, should there be sufficient entries, a Māori language award. The three Best First Book Awards will also continue.

Ms Legat added that including the awards in the Auckland Writers Festival programme ensures they reach more people.

“The New Zealand Book Awards will be the first public event in the festival’s line-up. With the festival growing exponentially year-on-year (55 percent in 2014 and a further 17 percent in 2015), we are taking New Zealand writers to a huge reading audience.”

Auckland Writers Festival director Anne O’Brien says embracing the New Zealand Book Awards was a natural fit.

“The festival is committed to sharing a love of books and reading and to championing and supporting New Zealand writers through exposure to thousands of festival-goers each year.  The New Zealand Book Awards are a celebration of writing excellence and we’re delighted to offer them a home in the festival’s programme,” says Ms O’Brien.

The four main categories will be judged by specialist judges, three per category, plus a Māori language adviser for the Māori language awards.  The judges will select a long list of around eight books in each category. It will be announced in November 2015.

The shortlist of four books in each of the categories will be announced in early March 2016.

“The changes to the judging process are a direct result of the consultation process carried out by the Book Awards Trust in 2014. Having fewer books for each judge to read, and having more specialist depth in each genre, will allow a more detailed examination of the works,” says Ms Legat.

The call for entries in the awards is scheduled for August 1 this year.

ENDS

 

For interview opportunities and further information please contact: Penny Hartill, director, hPR 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, penny@hartillpr.co.nz

Margot McCool, Operations Manager Acorn Foundation Tel 07 579 9839, 027 2455 142, margot@acornfoundation.org.nz

 

Editor’s Notes:

The New Zealand Book Awards are the country’s premier literary honours for works written by New Zealanders. First established in 1968 as the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards, they have also been called New Zealand Post Book Awards (2010-2014) and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards. The awards, now given for Fiction, Illustrated Non-fiction, General Non-fiction and Poetry,  as well as for Best First Book and Māori language, are governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust (a registered charity).  Creative New Zealand is a significant annual funder of the awards.

The Acorn Foundation is a Community organisation based in the Western Bay of Plenty, which encourages people to leave a gift in their Will and/or their lifetime, to support their local community forever. Donations are pooled and invested, and the investment income is used to make donations to local charities, in accordance with the donors’ wishes. The capital remains intact.

Since it was established in 2003, Acorn has distributed over $2.4million, and this year expects to distribute a further $500,000. It currently has invested funds of $13million.

Donors may choose which organisations are to benefit each year, or they may decide to leave that to the trustees’ discretion. This will allow for the changing needs of the region in years to come.

Community Foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide, and there are now 13 community foundations throughout New Zealand.

To find out more go to www.acornfoundation.org.nz, or www.nzcommunityfoundations.org.nz

Book Trade Industry Awards prove a passion for books creates profits

By Media Releases, News

MEDIA RELEASE
SUNDAY, 21 JUNE 2015

Neilsen Book logoA renowned family of booksellers were honoured with a lifetime achievement award tonight at the annual Book Industry awards in Auckland, while individual publishers and booksellers were recognised as being the best in the New Zealand trade.

This year the lifetime achievement award was presented to the Parsons Family of Auckland and Wellington for the inter-generational contribution the family have made to the industry.

All of the winners of the Book Trade Industry Awards this year have been applauded by the judges for their dedication to quality – whether in publication, selling, or running events – and passion for the trade. There were six awards given, and for the first time this year, applicants were invited to self-nominate. This allowed some smaller bookstores who didn’t frequently see publishing reps to highlight their own efforts to improve sales for their stores. There were a large number of nominees in this category, making the prize even more desirable.

The judges of the awards were Karen Ferns, Jill Rawnsley, Carolyn Morgan, Graham Beattie and Karren Beanland.

The winners of each category are announced below:

2015 Young Book Retailer of the Year:
Jenna Todd, Time Out Books, Mt Eden
‘Jenna manages the shop, which had its best ever sales in 2014, in an exemplary manner. Not only does she run their media & social media effectively, the customer testimonials for her work were outstanding,’ said judge Karen Ferns.

2015 Sales Rep of the Year:
Tammy Ruffell, HarperCollins NZ Lower North Island rep
‘Tammy is tireless in seeking ways to inspire customers, and has shown great leadership and resilience in facing head-on, with those customers, the challenges of the past year (or few),’ said judge Jill Rawnsley.

Marketing Strategy of the Year:
Penguin Random House NZ, for Chelsea Winter’s Everyday Delicious
‘The winning marketing strategy for 2015 saw an impressive result for the publisher and Chelsea Winter, the author, whose input into the campaign is every bit as contributory to the results. It is a competitive area of publishing, but the team at PRH pulled it off beautifully,’ said Rawnsley.

NZ Book Industry Special Award:
Bridget Williams Books
‘Bridget Williams Books wins this for their innovative list, and how effectively they have embraced the new digital age. They have proven their commitment to quality non-fiction publishing, publishing the important Tangata Whenua, while launching their new imprint BWB Texts over 2014,’ said Morgan.

Publisher of the Year:
Potton & Burton, newly renamed from Craig Potton Publishers
‘Potton & Burton show exceptional commitment to quality in its publishing programme, its production values, its relationships with customers and authors alike, and in the delivery of an essential distribution service. As well as this, the company’s dedication to New Zealand stories shines through in their regularly award-winning books,’ said Rawnsley.

Bookseller of the Year:
Unity Books, Wellington
‘Unity Books runs 50 events per year, and their support of NZ publishing accounts for 18% of their sales. Unity has proven over the years a great training place for aspiring booksellers. Overall, they win this award for their general excellence, and the special place they occupy in the community,’ said Morgan.

The Book industry is well-served by the passionate booksellers and publishers that are continuing to inspire in a changing environment. The Book Industry Awards are sponsored by PANZ, Nielsen Book and Booksellers NZ, and were administered via Booksellers NZ, by the Book Trade Liaison Committee.

ENDS

For media enquiries, interviews, please contact:

Lincoln Gould, CEO, Booksellers NZ
ph: (021) 426 575

For images, please contact:

Sarah Forster, Web Editor, Booksellers NZ
ph: (04) 815 8367, sarah.forster@booksellers.co.nz

Background of the New Zealand Book Industry Lifetime Achievement Award
The New Zealand Book Trade Lifetime Achievement award was created by the Book Trade Liaison Committee three years ago as a means of recognising those that have made a long and out-of -the -ordinary contribution to both publishing and bookselling . Previous winners have been individuals, with Graham Beattie winning the inaugural award in 2013, and Michael Moynahan in 2014.

Great Richness and Diversity in This Year’s Finalists in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults

By Media Releases, News

NZ Book Awards ChildrensPirates, orcas and penguins leap from the pages of the 22 books picked as finalists in the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

In the 25th year of these venerable awards, New Zealand authors have once again produced beautifully written and illustrated books that are wonderful to hold and read, showing that publishing for New Zealand children is in very good heart.

One hundred and forty-nine books were submitted for the Awards. A panel of three judges (judging convenor and children’s book reviewer and literary consultant Bob Docherty; author and children’s bookshop owner, Annemarie Florian; and teacher-librarian Fiona Mackie), with the assistance of Te Reo Māori language adviser, freelance Māori writer and editor Stephanie Pohe-Tibble, have spent months reading, analysing and enjoying all entries.

The finalists in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are selected across four categories: Picture Book, Non-Fiction, Junior Fiction and Young Adult Fiction, and there is an additional award for books written in Māori, for which there are finalists for the first time.

Judging panel convenor Bob Docherty says the judges were very pleased with the high quality of this year’s writing. “We likened the process to a vintner looking forward to tasting this year’s vintage. Having tasted, we all were delighted with this year’s production of titles – not only in terms of the actual writing, but also the fantastic quality and style of the illustrations and the actual presentation of the books. It’s heartening to see that book production in New Zealand is getting better and better. We’re pleased that publishers continue to put as much emphasis on the look and feel – literally – of a book as well as its content.

“The Picture Book category gave the judges the most difficulty – in the best possible way. With a whopping 75 entries, there was fierce competition to pare these down to five finalists. This indicates that New Zealand is producing its fair share of wonderfully strong visual stories – stories with simple integrity yet with expressive characters, where both author and illustrator work together to capture our interest on every page,” says Bob.

“All books submitted in the Non-Fiction category were particularly impressive – almost in defiance of the trend for some libraries to dispense with their non-fiction collections in favour of online sources. The judging panel believed all the Non-Fiction entries contained material that was far superior to any online source, and all entries deserved to be finalists, says Bob.

There were 35 entries in Junior Fiction category. “All these books were a delight to read. This year’s finalists have combined comic book illustrations with the traditional novel format, and four of the five books have an historical connection. Fantasy and adventure also figure, and there is a strong anti-bullying link within the finalists’ titles in this category.

The judges agreed that all 21 entries in the Young Adult Fiction category were stunning. The high standard of writing reflects the calibre of New Zealand’s world-class writers. The human condition and teenage relationships were intimately discussed, and dialogue was a strong feature of all of these novels.

Two finalists for the Māori language award

Seven books were submitted in the Māori language award, with two selected as finalists. Te Reo Māori language adviser, Stephanie Pohe-Tibble, says that all of this year’s entries had something for every reader – from beginning speakers of Māori to children and whānau involved in kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa Māori. The two finalists both stood out with their innovative approach to translation, wonderful text and illustrations, and creativity of storylines. Stephanie says, “I hope that all parents wishing to enrich their children’s lives with the Māori language will get to spend some special time with their children reading and enjoying these books.”

New Children’s Choice finalists’ list now decided by children

Children’s choices rule in the newly revamped Children’s Choice Awards in 2015. This year, more than 6,500 children and young adults from 106 schools from throughout the country have selected their own finalists from the 149 books submitted for the Awards. In previous years, the Children’s Choice was made from the judges’ finalist list, rather than from the full number of submitted books.

Nicola Legat, chair of the New Zealand Book Awards Trust, says, ”We wanted to hand this section over to the children – for them to decide which books they engaged with and which books they loved, rather than making their choices based on the criteria the judges used to make their decisions. Of the 20 books chosen as Children’s Choice finalists, seven match those on the judges’ list, so we’re very much looking forward to seeing the results of round two of the children’s vote over the next seven weeks.”

Voting for the Children’s Choice opens on Tuesday, 9 June and closes on Friday, 31 July. This year there will be a winner in each category.

Prince George to receive Picture Book finalists

For the second year, the five Picture Book finalists books are about to be sent to Prince George of Cambridge and his newborn sister Princess Charlotte. Each of the five books has a personal message from its author to both children.

“Each year the New Zealand Book Awards Trust is sending Prince George, and now his little sister, specially signed books from the authors of the Picture Book finalists. As they grow older the Cambridge family will receive the Non-Fiction finalists, then the Junior Fiction. When George is 13, we’ll send the autographed Young Adult Fiction books. By the time the Cambridge children have grown up, they’ll have a wonderful collection of New Zealand children’s and young adult literature – all personally inscribed,” says Nicola Legat.

The finalists for the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are:

Picture Books

Construction, Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock, Walker Books Australia

I Am Not a Worm, Scott Tulloch, Scholastic New Zealand

Jim’s Letters, Glyn Harper and Jenny Cooper, Penguin Random House

Keys, Sasha Cotter and Joshua Morgan, Huia Publishers

Little Red Riding Hood . . . Not Quite, Yvonne Morrison and Donovan Bixley, Scholastic New Zealand

Non-Fiction

Ghoulish Get-Ups: How to Create Your Own Freaky Costumes, Fifi Colston, Scholastic New Zealand

Māori Art for Kids, Julie Noanoa and Norm Heke, Craig Potton Publishing

Mōtītī Blue and the Oil Spill, Debbie McCauley and Sarah Elworthy, Mauao Publishing

The Book of Hat, Harriet Rowland, Makaro Press/Submarine

Under the Ocean: explore & discover New Zealand’s sea life, Gillian Chandler and Ned Barraud, Craig Potton Publishing

Junior Fiction

Conrad Cooper’s Last Stand, Leonie Agnew, Penguin Random House/Puffin

Dragon Knight: Fire!, Kyle Mewburn and Donovan Bixley, Scholastic New Zealand

Monkey Boy, Donovan Bixley, Scholastic New Zealand

The Island of Lost Horses, Stacy Gregg, HarperCollins

The Pirates and the Nightmaker, James Norcliffe, Penguin Random House/Longacre Child

Young Adults

I Am Rebecca, Fleur Beale, Penguin Random House

Night Vision, Ella West, Allen & Unwin

Recon Team Angel: Vengeance, Brian Falkner, Walker Books Australia

Singing Home the Whale, Mandy Hager, Penguin Random House

While We Run, Karen Healey, Allen & Unwin

Māori Language Award

Hoiho Paku, Stephanie Thatcher and Ngaere Roberts, Scholastic New Zealand

Nga Ki, Sasha Cotter and Joshua Morgan, Huia Publishers (translation of Keys, a finalist in the Picture Book category)

A Finalist Authors’ Tour will run from 3-7 August nationwide, with authors appearing in bookshops, libraries and schools.

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults is organised by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust, and administered by Booksellers NZ. The Awards are sponsored by Creative NZ, Book Tokens Ltd, Copyright Licensing Limited New Zealand and Nielsen Book Services. Publishers have also supported the awards this year.

The winners will be announced on the evening of Thursday, 13 August at Government House in Wellington.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Adrienne Olsen                T    04 496 5513

Adroite Communications, Wellington     M 029 296 3650

Media Advisors, 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults E adrienne@adroite.co.nz

 

 

Coverage of the December 2014 Press Conference held in Taipei to Announce the 2015 TIBE New Zealand Guest of Honour Author Programme, Branding and Pavilion Design

By Media Releases, TIBE

PANZ_4575 Full_Logos_English_COLPANZ_4575 Full_Logos_Chinese_COLPANZ_4575 Full_Logos_Chinese_COL

4 people press conference taipei dec 2014

(From Left) Doris Wang, Chair of TBFF, Alice Wang, Director of the Department of Humanities and Publications, MOC., Kevin Chapman, Project Director of 2015 TIBE NZ Guest of Honour and Si’alei van Toor, Director of the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei.

 

The 2015 Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) will feature New Zealand as the Guest of Honour chosen by our sponsor, the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan and organiser, Taipei Book Fair Foundation (TBFF). The New Zealand National Pavilion will incorporate a wealth of Māori elements in its architectural design and will showcase the glorious art and literature of their culture.

Through a series of author meet-ups and performances planned for the event, to be held 11-16 February at the Taipei World Trade Center, New Zealand’s unique culture and history will be introduced to local readers, the organiser said 22 December at a media conference in Taipei City.

“By designating New Zealand the TIBE Guest of Honour, Taiwan has established a bridge to the southern hemisphere,” said Alice WANG, director of the Ministry of Culture’s Department of Humanities and Publications, which oversees the operation of the book fair.

Ties between the two countries have strengthened substantively with the signing of the ANZTEC economic collaboration agreement in 2013, Wang said, adding that the ministry has teamed up with New Zealand to launch a co-authoring project. Both sides have three graphic novelists taking part in the initiative; they will take up residence in each other’s country and display the initial results during the event.

Si’alei van Toor, director of the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei, said that she hopes the book fair next year will strengthen bilateral cultural ties and show the people of Taiwan the rich culture of her home country.

“New Zealand and Taiwan have a lot in common. We’re both island economies with strong links to our indigenous peoples,” she said.

TBFF Chair Doris WANG expressed her gratitude for the presence of Kevin Chapman, director of the New Zealand Guest of Honour project, at the 22 December media event. She said she expects the annual book festival to garner satisfying results by stimulating Taiwan’s international participation, as well as overall cultural, economic, educational and political development.

“Themed ‘Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Books’, the Guest of Honour project underscores the open-minded creativity of New Zealand,” Chapman said, “just like an open book that invites the reader to sample the joy of reading therein.”

World Architecture News Award winner Andrew Patterson, who drew his inspiration from “Tokotoko,” a Māori traditional walking stick, designed the New Zealand theme pavilion.

In Māori tradition, the stick is a symbol of authority and status for the speaker in oral literature. Modelled on three joined Tokotoko sticks, the pavilion represents a space of dialogues on equal footing between the speaker and the reader, between Māori and non-Māori cultures, and between New Zealand and Taiwan.

Moreover, it is a tribute to literature, as the pavilion is constructed mainly out of paper, one of the most essential and important building blocks in literature and publication.

After completion, the pavilion will resemble an archipelago of three 1.8-meter-tall paper islands, surrounding the main exhibition area. The surface of these paper islands will be adorned with laser-cut Māori totems with a modern twist. The enclosed space will house the main Guest of Honour activities, including author meet-ups and Māori dance performances.

A total of 17 New Zealand publishers will participate in the theme pavilion, exhibiting publications on a diverse range of subjects, including architecture, art, culture, fiction, history, science and children’s books. These include several professional educational publishers, who will showcase books dedicated to children’s education, English learning, schooling and upbringing.

In addition, it will feature 22 authors from the country, including 2 illustrators: Gavin Bishop and Sarah Wilkins. Their works will be featured in The New Zealand Children’s Illustration Exhibition at the Children’s Book Pavilion in Hall 3, along with four other NZ illustrators, including Robyn Belton, Donovan Bixley, Andrew Burdan, and Rowan Sommerset.

The 23rd TIBE will present a Kiwi-themed feast, rich not only in literary offerings but also cultural exchange. Members of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, Ngā Kete Tuku Iho, will perform Māori dances twice almost daily during the book fair. For two sessions—one in the morning and one in the afternoon—from 12 Feb to 16 Feb, they will introduce Māori culture through fascinating dance narratives, which incorporate greetings, challenges and battles, as well as the oral storytelling tradition.

Sculpture is an essential part of Māori culture, too. The Guest of Honour pavilion will also feature a master who will carve a wood sculpture on site during the fair.

As Taiwan’s indigenous tribes and Māori share several significant characteristics, the theme pavilion will also join hands with Taiwan’s Council of Indigenous Peoples to shed light on the ocean-spanning, boundary-crossing links.

The New Zealand Guest of Honour Programme is sponsored by Creative New Zealand, Education New Zealand, Publishers Association of New Zealand, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Copyright Licensing New Zealand, Book Systems International and Te Puni Kōkiri. The programme is with the support of New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office Taipei and has partnership with Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan and New Zealand Book Council.

 

For more information contact:

Ka Meechan  ka@publishers.org.nz