New Voices of Aotearoa 2026 Announced
Click through to meet the authors and find out more.
Meet the writers shaping the future of New Zealand literature
Eight standout authors set to define the next chapter of New Zealand writing have secured places on the 2026 New Voices of Aotearoa list.
Selected by an expert judging panel and administered by the Coalition for Books, New Voices of Aotearoa is an annual initiative shining a spotlight on exceptional and distinctive writing talent across fiction, poetry and non-fiction.
Visit our New Voices 2026 page to meet the authors and find out more!
Now in its second year, NVA is about connecting readers with authors who have already demonstrated early commercial and critical success; a laser point on writers to watch and read now.
The 2026 New Voices of Aotearoa are:
Ōtaki-based writer and public servant Tīhema Baker (Raukawa te Au ki te Tonga, Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira)
Auckland-based poet and storyteller Amber Esau (Ngāpuhi, Manase)
Hastings award-winning poet and storyteller Nafanua Purcell Kersel (Satupa‘itea, Faleālupo, Aleipata, Tuaefu)
Auckland-based te reo Māori journalist and author Dr Atakohu Middleton (Waikato, Pākehā)
Bestselling Scottish-New Zealand crime writer Zoë Rankin
US-New Zealand forager, fungi enthusiast and bestselling author Liv Sisson
#1 bestselling novelist Jennifer Trevelyan
Christchurch academic and historian Dr Madi Williams (Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Kōata, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Rangitāne o Wairau).
Coalition for Books chair Melanie Laville Moore says readers keen to explore dynamic, fresh and highly contemporary books need to seek out these authors’ books.
‘They’re the interesting writers capturing the mood of the moment while showing readers where literature is headed next. Whether writing fiction or non-fiction, they stand out for their ability to connect with readers through books that are gripping, thought-provoking and deeply affecting.’
The Coalition for Books is grateful for the support of Mātātuhi Foundation.
