Manawatu wins 2025 Keri Hulme Award

Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe, Waitaha) has been awarded the 2025 Keri Hulme Award for Kataraina (The Cube Press) as part of the biennial Pikihuia awards.

The Keri Hulme Award recognises a mid-career Māori writer who represents the values Keri Hulme embodied through her work and storytelling. The award includes $5000 and guardianship of the Keri Hulme Award taonga for two years.

Other award winners, chosen from shortlists announced in August, include:

Poetry (te reo Māori)

• Aperahama Te Kapua-I-Waho Hurihanganui (Wairarapa, Te Arawa, Te Tai Rāwhiti) for “Te Matatini”

Poetry (English)

• Shelley Burne-Field (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Rārua, Te Ātiawa) for “Skin”

Short Story (te reo Māori)

• Darryn Joseph (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Rereahu) for “Te Hapori Whanokē”

Short Story (English)

• Mark Horsefield (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Rehia) for “The Sea Within”

Tauira Short Story Award (English)

• Tamihana te koha a Matariki Teimana Simmonds (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Huri, Pikitu Marae) for “The Price of War”.

The awards are presented by the Māori Literature Trust Te Waka Taki Kōrero and celebrate emerging Māori writers in te reo Māori and English.

Judges for the 2025 awards include Hēmi Kelly, Tayi Tibble, Maiki Sherman, Carol Hirschfeld and Mike Ross.

More information about the award is available on the Māori Literature Trust Te Waka Taki Kōrero website. 

Category: Awards Local news