A novel that masterfully weaves comedy, fantasy and history together in a profound exploration of identity was named the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults during an exuberant ceremony held this evening at Wellington’s Pipitea Marae.

Nine Girls by Stacy Gregg (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Pūkeko, Ngāti Maru Hauraki)was described by the judges as “a taonga from a masterful storyteller”.

“After careful deliberation, both judging panels came to a unanimous decision on a book that not only exemplifies the highest standards, but that we believe will make a lasting contribution to Aotearoa’s national literature for children and young adults; and as such, deserves the accolade of supreme winner,” said 2024 convenor of judges, Maia Bennett.

Stacy is one of Aotearoa’s biggest selling authors with millions of copies of her popular pony series sold worldwide. Nine Girls is the first time she’s explored te ao Māori, with the coming-of-age tale drawn from her own childhood in Ngāruawāhia.

“Vivid and well-developed characters populate a fast-paced, eventful narrative as we follow the young protagonist’s journey to discovering her Māori identity. Te ao Pākehā and te ao Māori are equally uplifted as the text explores our bicultural history,” said the judges.

As well as receiving the highest accolade in New Zealand children’s literature, Stacy was awarded the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction.

Winners in a further six categories were announced on the night. The Picture Book Award went to Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapōkai by Michaela Keeble which was written with her son Kerehi Grace (Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Porou) and illustrated by Tokerau Brown. Described as a sophisticated picture book which can be enjoyed by all ages, the judges found it to be groundbreaking, deeply creative and completely original.

The Young Adult Fiction Award was won by Catch a Falling Star by Eileen Merriman who has been nominated in this category a number of times previously, but never before won. The judges praised the remarkably authentic portrayal of the complicated and endearing teenage protagonist’s escalating mental health problems.

Ultrawild: An Audacious Plan to Rewild Every City on Earth by Steve Mushin was named theElsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction winner. The book is a deadly serious quest to design a way out of climate change, packed with concepts that are ingenious, technically plausible and often humorous – encouraging readers to see the explicit connection between creativity and science.

The winner of the Russell Clark Award for Illustration needs no introduction. Gavin Bishop (Tainui, Ngāti Awa) has collected more awards at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults than any other author or illustrator. The judges considered Patu: The New Zealand Wars to be more than just a historical recounting and felt the stark compositions and limited colour palette spoke to a deeply personal tale; “one of mamae discovered, mamae long felt, and mamae yet to be healed”.

The Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award went to Nani Jo me ngā Mokopuna Porohīanga, written by Moira Wairama and illustrated by Margaret Tolland. The judges said the book uses inclusive language to convey the significance of stories, their role in helping us make sense of our world, and the importance of poroporoaki to the grieving process.

Finally, the NZSA Best First Book Award was awarded to Ned Wenlock for Tsunami, a graphic novel for older readers. It stood out to the judges due to its sophisticated understanding of the comic form, telling an often-disturbing story of a troubled and bullied boy with skill and a complexity that trusts readers to meet the book's challenges.

The full list of winners for the 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults:

Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award $8500

Nine Girls, Stacy Gregg (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Pūkeko, Ngāti Maru Hauraki) (Penguin Random House NZ)

Picture Book Award $8500

Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapōkai, Michaela Keeble with Kerehi Grace (Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Porou), illustrated by Tokerau Brown(Gecko Press)

Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction $8500

Nine Girls, Stacy Gregg (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Pūkeko, Ngāti Maru Hauraki) (Penguin Random House NZ)

Young Adult Fiction Award $8500

Catch a Falling Star, Eileen Merriman (Penguin Random House NZ)

Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction $8500

Ultrawild: An Audacious Plan to Rewild Every City on Earth, Steve Mushin (Allen & Unwin)

Russell Clark Award for Illustration $8500

Patu: The New Zealand Wars, illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Tainui, Ngāti Awa) (Penguin Random House NZ)

Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for te reo Māori $8500

Nani Jo me ngā Mokopuna Porohīanga, Moira Wairama, illustrated by Margaret Tolland (Baggage Books)

NZSA Best First Book Award $2500

Tsunami, Ned Wenlock(Earth's End Publishing)

As well as acknowledging the best and brightest in books for children and teens, a core aspect of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults’ mission is to foster literacy and a love of reading among New Zealand’s tamariki and rangatahi.

This includes a programme of Books Alive large-scale events, which see finalist authors and illustrators bring the magic of books to life at sessions for school children in the immediate lead-up to the ceremony. This year, thanks to the generous support of the Mātātuhi Foundation, a day of joyous Books Alive fun was held for Invercargill school children on Wednesday 7 August. While on 9 August, WORD Christchurch hosted a selection of finalist authors who entertained primary and intermediate school students at Haeata Community Campus in Ōtautahi.And earlier today Wellington hundreds of school students converged on the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa and Te Whare Pukapuka o Waitohi in Johnsonville, where the talented team at Wellington City Libraries programmed over 20 finalists in a varied schedule that included behind-the-book talks, workshops on writing and illustration, lightning talk sessions, storytelling, and live drawing.

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults also administers the ever-popular HELL Reading Challenge, which has been running for over a decade. Last year almost 850 schools and libraries around the motu took part in the programme and 325,000 pizza wheels were distributed, leading to an estimated 2,275,000 books read. The 2024 challenge is already on track to surpass last year’s impressive results with over 290,000 pizza wheels already sent out.

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults and their associated programmes are made possible through the generosity, commitment and vision of funders and partners: Creative New Zealand, HELL Pizza, the Wright Family Foundation, LIANZA Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa, Wellington City Council, New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa,the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, the Mātātuhi Foundation, and Nielsen BookData. The Awards are administered by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa.