The short story collection, published by Te Herenga Waka University Press (THWUP), follows nine different women across generations as they resist, nurture and transform.
“I’m stunned by the win, which was truly unexpected, especially for a first book of fiction, and for short stories,” says Ingrid, who is a well-known essayist, memoirist, and poet.
“I wrote my first stories in Bill Manhire’s famous undergraduate course in 1996. He thought I should write more. I’m glad I got there in the end.”
Ingrid was the Kaituhi Tarāwhare Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence at the IIML in 2024 and says, “The time and space offered at the IIML was invaluable in the final stages.
“I was especially happy to share the night with my dear, brilliant friend and colleague, Tina Makereti,” she says.
IIML senior lecturer, Dr Tina Makereti (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangatahi-Matakore, Pākehā) was awarded the General Non-Fiction award for her essay collection This compulsion in us (THWUP). This was the novelist and editor’s first book of non-fiction and spans memoir, academic work and creative non-fiction. It was described by judges as “honest, revealing and stimulating work.”
Recent IIML Emerging Pasifika Writer-in-Residence, Nafanua Purcell Kersel (Satupa‘itea, Faleālupo, Aleipata, Tuaefu) took home the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for her debut poetry collection Black Sugarcane (THWUP).
All three of these major prize winners were published by THWUP. While a remarkable achievement, it also adds to the publisher's formidable record as one of the most awarded in the history of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.
THWUP publisher Fergus Barrowman says, “The recognition is so well deserved.”
“All three writers have a deep connection to Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, particularly the International Institute of Modern Letters.
“Tina is a senior lecturer at the IIML and a PhD graduate of the university. Ingrid is an alum of the university, was the IIML's 2024 Writer in Residence and has joined the academic staff in 2026 to facilitate a Masters workshop. And Nafanua's award-winning debut Black Sugarcane grew directly from her Master of Arts in Creative Writing at the IIML.
“The University has been a real support for all three careers and the whole university community can be proud of their success this week,” says Fergus.
In the Illustrated Non-Fiction category, alumnus Philip Garnock-Jones won best first book for He Puāwai: A Natural History of New Zealand Flowers (Auckland University Press), and Elizabeth Cox won the BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-fiction for Mr Ward’s Map: Victorian Wellington Street by Street (Massey University Press).
Te Mūrau o te Tuhi, a discretionary Māori Language Award, was presented this year to member of the Māori Queen’s Council of Twelve, professor, tohunga of Māori language and thought, and University alumnus Tā Pou Temara (Ngāi Tūhoe) KNZM for Te Āhua o Ngā Kupu Whakaari a Te Kooti (AUP), an analysis of the prophetic sayings of Te Kooti.
In presenting this award, judge Hone Morris says, “The book guides the reader from the foundations of the whare through to its heart, revealing the sacred nature of language through whakataukī, kupu whakaari, waiata, and named houses of Te Kooti Arikirangi Turuki.”
Professor Rawinia Higgins, Tumu Ahurei—Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori and Kaitiakitanga, says, “It is wonderful that Sir Pou has been acknowledged for his book which was originally his MA thesis (with Distinction) here at Te Herenga Waka. His long standing connection and influence on Te Herenga Waka marae is immense, and we are proud that his work has been recognised with this honour.
“I also want to recognise the wonderful works of our alumni. Having lived among the winds and wilds of Te-Whanganui-a-Tara, it is clear that Te Herenga Waka’s incredible community of writers continues to shape Aotearoa’s literary landscape.”
Ockham winner to speak at Stout Centre
The Stout Centre’s Between the Lines—Recent Books in New Zealand Studies series invites you to a conversation with Ockham award-winner Elizabeth Cox on 20 May. Joining fellow scholars, she will discuss her book Mr Ward’s Map: Victorian Wellington Street by Street and the stories it charts about the city at the turn of the twentieth century.
The event will also be livestreamed via Zoom.