Skip to main content

Kōrero: Children’s and young adult literature

Book of the year winners

New Zealand Government Publishing Awards
Children’s Book of the Year

Year Title Author Illustrator
1982 The silent one Joy Cowley Sherryl Jordan
1983 The halfmen of O Maurice Gee
1984 Jacky Nobody Anne de Roo
1985 Visitors Caroline Macdonald Garry Meeson
1986 Guardian of the land Joanna Orwin
1987 The keeper Barry Faville
1988 Alex Tessa Duder
1989 Awards not held

AIM Book of the Year

Year Title Author Illustrator
1990 Alex in winter Tessa Duder
1991 Rocco Sherryl Jordon
1992 Bow down Shadrach Joy Cowley Robyn Belton
1993 No supreme winner awarded
1994 No supreme winner awarded

AIM Supreme book of the year

Year Title Author Illustrator
1995 The fat man Maurice Gee
1996 Crossroads Janice Marriott

New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards
Book of the year

Year Title Author Illustrator
1997 The bantam and the soldier Jennifer Beck Robyn Belton
1998 Dare, truth or promise Paula Boock
1999 A summery Saturday morning Margaret Mahy
2000 The house that Jack built Gavin Bishop Gavin Bishop
2001 Voyage with Jason Keith Catran
2002 The plight of the penguin Lloyd Spencer Davis
2003 Weaving earth and sky: myths & legends of Aotearoa Robert Sullivan Gavin Bishop
2004 A bird in the hand Janet Hunt
2005 Clubs: a Lolly Leopold story Kate De Goldi Jacqui Colley
2006 Hunter Joy Cowley
2007 Illustrated history of the South Pacific Marcia Stenson
2008 Snake and lizard Joy Cowley Gavin Bishop
2009 The 10pm question Kate De Goldi
2010 Old Hu-Hu Kyle Mewburn Rachel Driscoll
2011 The moon and farmer McPhee Margaret Mahy David Elliot
2012 Nice day for a war Matt Elliot Chris Slane
2013 Into the river Ted Dawe
2014 The boring book Vasanti Unka Vasanti Unka

New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
Book of the year

Year Title Author Illustrator
2015 Singing home the whale Mandy Hager
2016 Anzac Heroes Maria Gill Marco Ivancic
2017 Snark: Being a true history of the expedition that discovered the Snark and the Jabberwock…and its tragic aftermath David Elliot David Elliot
2018 Aotearoa: The New Zealand story Gavin Bishop Gavin Bishop
2019 The bomb Sacha Cotter Josh Morgan
2020 Mophead Selina Tusitala Marsh Selina Tusitala Marsh
2021 Charlie Tangaroa and the creature from the sea Tania Roxborogh
2022 Atua: Māori gods and heroes Gavin Bishop Gavin Bishop
2023 Te wehenga: the separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku Mat Tait Mat Tait

This table shows the winners of the top award at the New Zealand's children's book awards since they began as the Government Publishing Awards in 1982. The event was replaced by the AIM Children's Book Awards in 1990. From 1990 to 1992 there was only one category, but in 1993 the categories were expanded to senior fiction, junior fiction and picture books. A supreme award was not made until 1995. The AIM awards were replaced by the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards, which ran from 1997 to 2014. From 2015 the awards were called the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Sources: Roger Robinson and Nelson Wattie (eds), The Oxford companion to New Zealand Literature. Auckland: Oxford University Press 1998; Booksellers New Zealand and Christchurch City Libraries

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Kerryn Pollock, Children’s and young adult literature – Fantasy and social realism, 1970s–2000s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/interactive/43168/book-of-the-year-winners (accessed 5 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Kerryn Pollock, i tāngia i te 25 October 2013, updated 1 August 2016.