Interviews

Q&A with Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

It feels like everywhere we look, Isobel Joy Te Aho-White’s illustrations are gracing the covers and insides of some of New Zealand’s best picture books. By our count, she illustrated at least 13 books released in the last 18 months….

From the Shop Floor: Chicken and Frog

We are pleased to present a regular series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest children’s booksellers of New Zealand. Here is Chicken and Frog children’s bookstore in Featherston, owned and curated by Joanna Ludbrook. Here…

School Librarians of Aotearoa: Vanessa Hatley-Owen

Vanessa Hatley-Owen is a librarian at Botany Downs Primary School, Auckland. Here, she tells us about the best aspects of her job, what challenges she’s come up against, and about her own book! Tell us about where you work and…

Interview: Leela Chakraborti & Rajorshi Chakraborti

Leela Chakraborti (11) and Rajorshi Chakraborti are the daughter and dad co-authors of The Bad Smell Hotel, published by The Cuba Press. Rajorshi is the author of five novels and a short fiction collection for adults, and a young adult…

From the Shop Floor: The Underground Bookstore

Today we profile The Underground Bookstore, a collective of Wellington-based authors passionate about promoting and celebrating New Zealand writers and giving them the recognition they deserve. Here, Vanessa Evetts tells us about TUB’s origins, successes, and goals for the future….

Robin Hyde: User of Words

Robin Hyde (pen name for Iris Wilkinson), one of New Zealand’s best poets, novelists and journalists,  is widely praised for her wit, compassion, and imagery, as well as for the power and emotional accuracy of her writing. She is credited…

Interview: Story Hemi-Morehouse

Story Hemi-Morehouse (of Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Toa Rangatira descent) is an award-winning writer-illustrator who burst onto the NZ literary scene after experimenting with her art during the Covid-19 lockdowns. With nine books already to her name, and more on…

The Reckoning: Decolonising pukapuka on Te Tiriti, Part 2 of 2

Following Part 1 of the discussion about the lack of children’s picture books focused on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Barry McLernon (Te Āti Awa & Pākehā Scottish, Dutch ancestry) and Kay Benseman (Pākehā German, Irish, Scottish, Spanish, English ancestry) kōrero…

HONOURED EARTH: An interview with Bren MacDibble and Zana Fraillon

Rachael King has been enamoured with The Raven’s Song ever since its release last year. Here, she interviews the book’s authors, Bren MacDibble and Zana Frallion, on their creative process, the co-authoring experience, and more. The Raven’s Song burst onto…

The Mahy Questionnaire: Catherine Chidgey

It’s time for the return of the Mahy Questionnaire – and what better way to kick it off again than with literary legend Catherine Chidgey? Devourers of books for grown-ups will be well-acquainted with Catherine’s name, with some serious prizes and plaudits…