New Zealand literature is literature, both oral and written, produced by the people of New Zealand. It often deals with New Zealand themes, people or places, is written predominantly in New Zealand English, and features Māori culture and the use of the Māori language. Before the arrival and settlement of Europeans in New Zealand in the 19th century, Māori culture had a strong oral tradition. Early European settlers wrote about their experiences travelling and exploring New Zealand. The concept of a "New Zealand literature", as distinct from English literature, did not originate until the 20th century, when authors began exploring themes of landscape, isolation, and the emerging New Zealand national identity. Māori writers became more prominent in the latter half of the 20th century, and Māori language and culture have become an increasingly important part of New Zealand literature.
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1990.
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1983.
Hairy Maclary and Friends is a series of children's picture books created by New Zealand author and illustrator Dame Lynley Dodd. The popular series has sold over five million copies worldwide. The character Hairy Maclary made his first appearance in 1983 in the book titled Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. He is the protagonist in twelve books in the series, and there are a further nine books about his friends.
Sylvia Constance Ashton-Warner was a New Zealand novelist, non-fiction writer, poet, pianist and world figure in the teaching of children. As an educator she developed and applied concepts of organic, child-based learning to the teaching of reading and writing, and vocabulary techniques, still used today.
Dame Lynley Stuart Dodd is a New Zealand children's book author and illustrator. She is best known for her Hairy Maclary and Friends series, and its follow-ups, all of which feature animals with rhyming names and have sold over five million copies worldwide. In 1999, Dodd received the Margaret Mahy Award.
My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes is a New Zealand children’s book by Eve Sutton and Lynley Dodd, who are cousins by marriage. The book was first published in 1974 and won the 1975 Esther Glen Award.
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy first published in 1983, is the first and most well-known of a series of books by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd featuring Hairy Maclary. His adventures are usually in the company of his other dog friends. His arch-enemy is the tomcat Scarface Claw.
Mallinson Rendel Publishers Limited was an independent publisher based in Wellington, New Zealand, founded in 1980. Founded by Ann Mallinson and David Rendel, it concentrated mainly on children's fiction and picture books and also published a small number of popular new titles each year. Works published include Lynley Dodd's Hairy Maclary series. In December 2009 the company's assets were acquired by Pearson New Zealand Ltd with most of the works being marketed under the Penguin imprint.
Lawrence Leung is an Australian comedian, writer, director and actor from Melbourne. He is best known for his television series Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure based his one-man shows on stories about his obsessions, such as breakdancing, ghosts, the Rubik's Cube, and his family.
Scarface Claw the "toughest Tom in town", is a fictitious tom cat who features in the Hairy Maclary children's stories written by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd. A large, black cat with big yellow eyes and chunks missing from his ears, Scarface has a reputation as the "toughest Tom in town".
Tauranga is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of 162,800, or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by Europeans in the early 19th century, and was constituted as a city in 1963.
The Esther Glen Award, or LIANZA Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award, is the longest running and the most renowned literary prize for New Zealand children's literature.
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children's and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards were founded in 1982, and have had several title changes until the present title was introduced in 2015. In 2016 the awards were merged with the LIANZA children's book awards. As of 2023 the awards are administered by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust and each category award carries prize money of NZ$7,500.
Jana Kolarič is a Slovene author and translator. She is the author of plays and novels for both children and adults, and has been recognised as an exceptional artist by the Ministry of Culture. She has won a number of literary awards.
Adele Broadbent is a New Zealand children's author.
Evelyn Mary Sutton, commonly known as Eve Sutton, was a New Zealand writer of literature for children.
Elizabeth Ann Mallinson is a New Zealand children's book publisher and co-founder of Mallinson Rendel, best known for Lynley Dodd's Hairy Maclary series.
Goodnight Kiwi is a New Zealand TV show where well-known New Zealanders are presented reading children's books. It is intended to be watched before bed, and is based on the TV sign-off animation, Goodnight Kiwi. Each episode is around three minutes long and available on TVNZ+. It includes animations, original illustrations and live performances. The episodes begin with a variation of the original Goodnight Kiwi animation, where the kiwi and cat jump into the satellite dish.
