NZSA New Zealand Heritage Literary Awards 2021
MEDIA RELEASE: 5 October 2021
Christchurch Heritage Festival 2021
People and Place - our stories revealed.
The New Zealand Society of Authors Heritage Literary Awards started in 2014 through the initiative of the NZSA Canterbury branch who were asked by the Christchurch City Council to contribute to Heritage Week. Since then, with the help of the NZSA National Office it has grown into a competition which attracts national attention. This year there were over 100 books submitted in four categories: fiction, non-fiction, children’s and Te Reo.
These have come from publishers and authors from all over New Zealand. Each book submitted has to be published and have some connection with our heritage and also have a link with the Christchurch Heritage Week theme – this year it was People and Places – our stories revealed.
As a group who supports writers, we have always included two sections for unpublished works. These are for short prose, which can be anything from short stories and memoir to articles about our past, and a poetry section. This year the entries were high with nearly 30 entered in each category.
Each year we try to recruit national recognised judges. This year’s line-up included. Paula Morris (fiction), Katie Pickles and Sally Blundell (non-fiction), Gavin Bishop (children’s), – Charisma Rangipunga, (Te Reo), Jane Higgins (short prose) and David Eggleton (poetry). The Canterbury Branch of the National Society of Authors are incredibly grateful to our talented judges in establishing shortlists for each of the six categories.
Below is this year’s shortlist. The winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony to be held at St Michael and All Angels, 95-99 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch, 22 October at 7pm.
2021 SHORTLISTS
Children’s Books Section - Gavin Bishop
DISPLACED by Cristina Sanders (Walker Books)
I AM THE UNIVERSE by Vasanti Unka, (Puffin Books, Penguin Random House)
NEW ZEALAND DISASTERS by Maria Gill and Marco Ivancic, (Scholastic NZ Ltd)
Nonfiction Books Section – Katie Pickles and Sally Blundell
ROCK COLLEGE : An unofficial history of Mount Eden Prison by Mark Derby (Massey University Press)
COMMON GROUND: Garden histories of New Zealand by Matt Morris (Otago University Press)
THIS PĀKEHĀ LIFE: An unsettled memoir by Alison Jones (Bridget Williams Books)
THE PLATFORM: The Radical Legacy of the Polynesian Panthers by Melani Anae (Bridget Williams Books)
KIA WHAKANUIA TE WHENUA: People, Place, Landscape Edited by Carolyn Hill for Landscape Foundation (Mary Egan Publishing)
Fiction Books Section – Paula Morris
BUG WEEK by Airini Beautrais (Victoria University Press)
EVERYTHING CHANGES by Stephanie Johnson (Vintage)
FAKE BABY by Amy McDaid (Penguin Random House)
THE TALLY STICK by Carl Nixon (Vintage)
THE PIANO GIRLS by Elizabeth Smither (Quentin Wilson Publishing)
Te Reo Māori Books Section – Charisma Rangipunga
HE ITI TE KUPU: Māori metaphors and similes by Hona Black (Oratia Books)
MIHI by Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press)
Short Prose Section – Jane Higgins
A War of Thoughts and Waiting by Ruth Bayley
Angelina’s Clowns by Nandini Ghosh
Life a Duology by Jen Gibbs
Among the Cat Tails by Kayleen Hazlehurst
Now and Then by David Vass
Poetry Section – David Eggleton
Aberdeen Street (Lane) Christchurch by Antoinette Baker
Driving Through the Maruia Valley by Jeni Curtis
WILD WINTER REGULARS @QE2 by CR Green
The Holiness of Attention by Michael Harlow
Judge’s comments can be viewed at https://nzsacanterbury.wordpress.com
