About our Funders

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults could not exist without the generosity, commitment and vision of its wonderful whānau of sponsors. The New Zealand Book Awards Trust is hugely grateful to them for their support of the annual children’s book awards.

Creative New Zealand

Creative New Zealand has been a sustaining partner of New Zealand’s book awards for decades. The national arts development agency of the New Zealand government encourages, promotes and supports the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders through funding, capability building, an international programme, and advocacy. Creative New Zealand provides a wide range of support to New Zealand literature, including funding for writers and publishers, residencies, literary festivals and awards, and supports organisations which work to increase the readership and sales of New Zealand literature at home and internationally.

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HELL Pizza

HELL Pizza was established in 1996 and now has 78 outlets throughout New Zealand. HELL has been proud to sponsor the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults for over a decade. Known for doing things a little differently, in 2014 the company initiated the awards-associated HELL Reading Challenge, which encourages kiwi kids to swap screen time for stories by rewarding a love of reading with pizza. The programme rewards students with a free 333 kids’ pizza once they have read seven books, because, HELL says, getting kids into reading ‘is worth going to Hell for’. In 2025, 779 schools and public libraries around New Zealand took part in the challenge and over 312,000 pizza wheels were distributed, which means that almost 2.2 million books were potentially read by Kiwi kids as a result.

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Wright Family Foundation

The Wright Family Foundation’s goal of ‘growing the good’ in New Zealand Aotearoa means literacy features prominently in its aspirations for the country’s youth. Founder, the late Chloe Wright, was delighted to have the Foundation support the mahi of the New Zealand Books Awards for Children and Young Adults, believing that reading creates imagination, ultimately leading to the emergence of writers. “Books, whether read or written, bring centuries of people together. Through the written word we gain tolerance and understanding, enabling us to share in the cultures, histories, myths, and magical spaces in time,” she said. The Foundation also supports Kids’ Lit Quiz and the New Zealand Spelling Bee.

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LIANZA Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa

LIANZA Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa, the association for library and information professionals in New Zealand, introduced the first award for children’s fiction in New Zealand, establishing the Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award in 1945. LIANZA added other awards over the years including the Russell Clark Award for Illustration in 1975 and the Elsie Locke Non-fiction Award in 1986. Te Kura Pounamu Award for literature written in te reo Māori was established in 1996, in partnership with Te Rōpū Whakahau. In 2016 the LIANZA Children and Young Adult Book Awards were merged with the Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, strengthening the long legacy of the LIANZA Awards.

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Wellington City Council

Wellington City Council’s Aho Tini 2030 Arts, Culture and Creativity Strategy guides support for cultural wellbeing in the capital, in partnership with artists, creative industries, organisations, national institutions, training organisations, cultural groups, and communities. The name Aho Tini was gifted by mana whenua, combining aho (the cross threads of weaving) and tini (many), symbolising the strength created by weaving together the many strands of Wellington’s creative and cultural genius. The city’s artists and writers address some of its biggest challenges while fostering inclusive, connected communities. Through Aho Tini, the Council aims to nurture and celebrate writing and illustration, working with the sector to build a strong arts ecosystem where writers’ and illustrators’ careers can flourish and their organisations thrive.

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Wellington City Libraries

Wellington’s City Libraries have been changing lives since 1841. They offer Wellingtonians an equal opportunity to explore the world of knowledge, news and ideas. The network of 12 public libraries and a strong online presence directly support lifelong individual and community development, wellbeing and democratic engagement. They collectively provide a wide range of traditional and 21st century resources, collections, services, programmes and social connection opportunities.

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BookHub

Founded in 1921, Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand is the national association for bookshops that helps its members grow and succeed through education, information, advocacy, marketing campaigns – such as Bookshop Day – and services – such as BookHub. Launched in 2023, BookHub is an e-commerce platform that enables people to browse books, buy books and find local bookshops, directly connecting readers with independent bookstores across the motu. Local bookshops are essential community hubs, and champions of Aotearoa New Zealand books and of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

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Wheelers Books

Wheelers Books is a trusted ally to 65 public library networks and more than 2,500 schools across Aotearoa and Australia. Championing New Zealand, Māori and Pasifika collections, Wheelers is dedicated to supporting libraries and schools to inspire communities through education, literacy and accessibility. Driven by the belief that every child deserves a story, Wheelers invests in equity through partnerships with Duffy Books in Homes, Storytime Foundation and The Values Trust (Little Libraries), and as a result the company has placed nearly one million books into the homes of children in lower socio-economic communities. Through Wheelers Insights, the company fosters practical, grounded conversations across libraries, schools and communities – growing readers and celebrating their stories across Aotearoa.

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The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (NZSA)

The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (NZSA) was established in 1934 as the New Zealand PEN Centre and remains the principal organisation for writers in Aotearoa today. Now representing over 1,800 writers, NZSA advocates for authors’ rights and incomes, acts as a communications hub, administers prizes and awards, and runs a raft of digital and in-person professional development programmes and assessment and mentoring opportunities that support writers at all stages of their writing journeys. The Society works closely with industry partners and collaborates widely across the sector to advance the visibility and readership of NZ writers and NZ writing. NZSA is a non-profit Incorporated Society and registered charity, governed by a Board, with 8 regional branches, Ngā Kaituhi Māori, a growing Youth Writers Network, and a national office.

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The National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa

The National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa helps all New Zealanders access and use the collective knowledge of the nation. It’s their job to collect, connect, and co-create knowledge to power Aotearoa. The National Library has long supported literacy and learning, and recent reading initiatives related to its ‘Growing a Nation of Readers’ strategy include Communities of Readers and Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador. Award-winning author Kate De Goldi was appointed as the third Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador in 2025. Kate advocates for and champions the importance of reading in the lives of young New Zealanders, their whānau and communities.

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NielsenIQ BookData

NielsenIQ BookData provides a range of services to the book industry internationally, aiding the discovery and purchase, distribution and sales measurement of books. The company employs more than 100 staff and has offices in 17 countries, including New Zealand and Australia. NielsenIQ BookData is wholly owned by NIQ.

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