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As a group who supports writers, we have always included two sections for unpublished works.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