Aotearoa New Zealand 2026 Book Industry Awards finalists announced
Monday, 1 June 2026 Books+Publishing @booksandpublishing
The finalists in Aotearoa New Zealand’s 2026 Book Industry Awards, presented by Booksellers Aotearoa NZ and the Publishers Association of New Zealand Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ), have been announced.
The finalists in the business and books categories are:
NielsenIQ BookData NZ Bookshop of the Year
- Dorothy Butler Children’s Bookshop (Ponsonby, Auckland)
- Schrödinger’s Books (Petone, Wellington)
- Time Out Bookstore (Mt Eden, Auckland)
- The Women’s Bookshop (Ponsonby, Auckland)
Publisher of the Year
- Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand
- Auckland University Press
- HarperCollins Aotearoa New Zealand
- Penguin Random House New Zealand
Booksellers Choice Award
Adult’s Choice
- 1985: A Novel (Dominic Hoey, Penguin Random House New Zealand)
- The Book of Guilt (Catherine Chidgey, Te Herenga Waka University Press)
- Lessons on Living (Nigel Latta, HarperCollins Publishers Aotearoa New Zealand)
- Mr Ward’s Map (Elizabeth Cox, Massey University Press)
- Tea and Cake and Death (The Bookshop Detectives 2) (Gareth and Louise Ward, Penguin Random House New Zealand)
- Three Wee Bookshops at the End of the World (Ruth Shaw, Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand)
Children’s Choice
- Anahera: The Mighty Kiwi Mama (Ruth Paul, Penguin Random House New Zealand)
- The Case of the Missing Stuff: Violet and the Velvets (Rachael King & Phoebe Morris, Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand)
- Hooked: Learning to Fish (Al Brown & Hope McConnell, Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand)
- Mum’s Busy Work (Jacinda Ardern & Ruby Jones, Penguin Random House New Zealand)
- Pūkeko Who-keko? (Toby Morris, Penguin Random House New Zealand)
- Taniwha (Gavin Bishop, Penguin Random House New Zealand)
Libro.fm NZ Audiobook of the Year
- A Different Kind of Power (Jacinda Ardern)
- Iron & Embers (Helen Scheuerer)
- The Lost Saint (Rachael Craw)
- Northbound (Naomi Arnold)
- No Words for This (Ali Mau)
- Speaking My Language | Te Kōrero i Tōku Reo (Mike McRoberts).
The winners will be announced on 25 July at the Aotearoa NZ Book Industry Awards ceremony in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
More information on the awards and finalists is available on the Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand website.
Category: Awards Local news
