Author Direct NZ

20/08/2026

Congratulations to all the New Zealand Book Award for Children and Young Adult award winners!

Congratulations to all the New Zealand Book Award for Children and Young Adult award winners!

🏆️ The Margaret Mahy Book of the Year - A Guide to Rocks, Sacha Cotter, illustrated by Josh Morgan
🏆️ BookHub Picture Book Award - A Guide to Rocks, Sacha Cotter, illustrated by Josh Morgan
🏆️ Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction - Dreamslinger, Graci Kim
🏆️ Wheelers Books Award for Young Adult Fiction - The Lost Saint, Rachael Craw
🏆️ Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction - Whenua: Māori Pūrākau of Aotearoa, Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
🏆️ Russell Clark Award for Illustration - Kupe and the Great Octopus of Muturangi, Mat Tait
🏆️ Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for a Book Originally Written in Te Reo Māori - Kupe me te Wheke nui a Muturangi, Mat Tait
🏆️ Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for a Book Translated into Te Reo Māori - He Taonga te Toka, Sacha Cotter, illustrated by Josh Morgan, translated by Kawata Teepa
🏆️ NZSA Best First Book Award - Te Onehaumako, Zeb Tamihana Nicklin

20/08/2026

A wonderful achievement! A Guide to Rocks has earned its creative duo their second Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award. A fantastic celebration of Aotearoa’s children’s literature and storytelling!

A Guide to Rocks earned the creative couple behind the children’s book their second Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award.

20/08/2026

Find the tutorials in the comments and get inspired for your next book parade. 💛

20/08/2026

Big Red Boat is Rebecca’s contribution to Bookrapt’s Treasury. Written especially for her son Logan when he was just two and a half, this sweet story began with a mother’s love and a little boy’s imagination. ✨

We’re delighted to share it as part of this special collection celebrating Aotearoa’s wonderful children’s stories.

18/08/2026

Big Day! Bookrapt’s Treasury has officially arrived in Tauranga Moana! What a special moment to see this beautiful pukapuka finally here, just in time for Aotearoa NZ Children’s Book Week. 💛

14/08/2026

Events are happening around the country to celebrate the first ever Children's Book Week in New Zealand, including these two events next week in the Bay of Plenty.
- Writing workshop in Te Puke Library
- Book launch at the Greerton Library, the Bookrapt, Est. 1983 Treasury.

14/08/2026

A lovely Bookish Extravaganza is happening at The Children’s Bookshop as part of NZ Children’s Book Week! So many wonderful events celebrating books, authors, and young readers.

14/08/2026

We are delighted to feature emerging author Penelope McLeod in Bookrapt's Treasury. Her delightful poem Timothy Tim follows a little blue train who dreams of becoming an aeroplane, brought to life with imagination, humour, and rhyme.

It is wonderful to share Penelope’s first published work as part of this special collection, proudly brought to you by Bookrapt, Est. 1983 and Mauao Publishing, Est. 2012

𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 21 𝘼𝙪𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩 2026. 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚-𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙬.
https://tinyurl.com/2fz6buck

11/04/2026

Everybody… tomorrow at 9am, let’s all HUFF and PUFF and blow Ex-Tropical Cyclone Vaianu away! 💨

Stay safe, whānau. If you’re hunkering down indoors, it’s the perfect excuse to slow things down with the tamariki. Read some awesome Kiwi books, play a few games, and maybe even build a blanket fort or two. 📚

There’s nothing like a good story to bring a bit of calm (and fun) to a wild day.

07/12/2025

Make 2026 count – publish and write your book! We're hosting two free seminars. Join Rebecca from ChatterBox NZ Marketing & Publishing online at 7pm on Wed 10 and 17 Dec, where you can unlock massive savings with book publishing support. Click through to register.

Learn how to publish your book in 2026! FREE session: Wed 10th or 17th Dec, 7–8pm. Exclusive publishing package discounts for only 4 authors.