2026: NZ Book Awards

RACHEL:
● The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards shortlist was a mixed bag for me this year. The shortlist ranges from the diva of NZ fiction Catherine Chidgey to debut novelists, a poet and memoirist, and a visual artist. The subject matter is equally diverse: an alternative reality set in Britian in 1979, a Kiwi family navigating love and loss, nine linked stories about successful women from NZ and abroad, to a book about, well, the author himself.

Before getting to the four that did make the shortlist, I want to acknowledge a few that didn’t. 1985 by Dominic Hoey is a fabulous read and I’m unsure why it missed out. It is nostalgic, very Kiwi in its vernacular, highlights the plight of the under privileged, and is uniquely warm and wholesome.

I also really enjoyed The Last Living Cannibal, which explores Māori and societal history, and Before The Winter Ends with its focus on the immigrant experience in New Zealand. All three felt distinctly rooted in Aotearoa. And, to be honest, I struggle to understand how a book about its own author, a privileged white artist who is frequently disparaging about others especially women, was considered to have a more compelling or important story to tell than any of the aforementioned.

Of the four that were shortlisted, my clear favourite is The Book of Guilt. Chidgey is a master of pace, reveals and lurking sinister undertones. She respects her readers’ intelligence and paints a thought-provoking picture of society’s past and possible future. If the award is for the best-written novel, I can’t see how anything but this could win. The issue I can see is that The Book of Guilt isn’t set in New Zealand and isn’t about Kiwis or our history and I can see it being pipped at the post that feels more representative of us.

If this is the case I’d be happy to see either All Her Lives or Hoods Landing recognised. Both are distinctly Kiwi and impressive debuts.