Motueka writer Mat Tait with his book Te Wehenga: The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku. Photo: Vijay Paul/The NZ Book Awards Trust
A bilingual book about the Māori creation story has won the highest accolade in children's literature.
Te Wehenga: The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku by Motueka writer Mat Tait (Ngāti Apa ki te rātō) won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award at New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults held at Wellington's Pipitea Marae.
Te Wehenga simultaneously tells the Māori creation pūrākau, which explains the beginning of the world, in te reo Māori and English.
Convenor of judges Nicola Daly praised the book's innovative approach to integrating both languages into the illustrations.
"The way that te reo Māori and te reo Pākehā are brought together closely feels like a metaphorical representation of the increasing bilingualism in Aotearoa," Daly said.
Tait's book also won the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction.
Duck Goes Meow by Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Carla Martell, won the Picture Book Award. Judges said the book was a joyous celebration of the unexpected that delivered a conclusion that surprised the animals in the story and readers alike.
Below, a white-knuckle survival story by David Hill, won the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction, while the Young Adult Fiction Award went to Iris and Me by Philippa Werry.
A Portrait of Leonardo, a vibrant retelling of the life of Leonardo da Vinci by Donovan Bixley won the Russell Clark Award for Illustration. The judges said this fresh, youthful approach to biography was a fluent and delightful visual feast for the eyes.
Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro by Brianne Te Paa, illustrated by Story Hemi-Morehouse won the Te Kura Pounamu Award for Te Reo Māori. Judges said the story's significance and context, and the author's use of te reo Māori, placed the book in a stratosphere of its own.
The NZSA Best First Book Award went to The Lighthouse Princess by Susan Wardell, illustrated by Rose Northey.
Winners of the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults:
Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award $7500
- Te Wehenga: The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku, Mat Tait (Allen & Unwin)
Picture Book Award $7500
- Duck Goes Meow, Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Carla Martell (Scholastic New Zealand)
Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction $7500
- Below, David Hill (Penguin Random House NZ)
Young Adult Fiction Award $7500
- Iris and Me, Philippa Werry (The Cuba Press)
Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction $7500
- Te Wehenga: The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku, Mat Tait (Allen & Unwin)
Russell Clark Award for Illustration $7500
- A Portrait of Leonardo, Donovan Bixley (Upstart Press)
Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for te reo Māori $7500
- Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro, Brianne Te Paa, illustrated by Story Hemi-Morehouse (Huia Publishers)
NZSA Best First Book Award $2500
- The Lighthouse Princess, Susan Wardell, illustrated by Rose Northey (Penguin Random House NZ)