Kurangaituku is an extraordinary novel: unashamedly literary, utterly innovative and yet still irrevocably rooted in all that is te ao Māori. It’s an epic poem of a novel, resonant of Māori oral traditions, that gives a voice, form and a name to the bird-woman from the myth Hatupatu and the Bird-Woman. The ogress Kurangaituku tells us not only her side of the story but everything she knows about te ao Māori. It's not often longing and mourning, desire and revenge can be seen so clearly, so movingly, in a single book. Kurangaituku is poetic, intense, clever and sexy as hell. It’s also an important novel – a game changer.

Even those who believe themselves to be without interest in either clothing or our history will be seduced by Dressed. Readers will find themselves transported to other worlds, populated by people, indigenous and immigrant, both heartachingly familiar and surprisingly exotic. Beautifully illustrated and deeply researched, it is the complete package. Dressed is a valuable addition to our nation’s story and a great example of the possibilities of historical enquiry and non-fiction publishing.

Vincent O’Malley’s book meets all the criteria for a great work of non-fiction. It is the fruit of close historical research and accessible to a wide readership. It tells us of the past but is relevant to the present when public debate feeds New Zealanders’ hunger to know how our country was formed. It is nuanced in its balance of both Māori and Pakeha voices and it respects the attitudes and assumptions of people who lived in an era different from our own. In bringing together these voices, O’Malley creates a coherent history of the New Zealand Wars, gives greater attention to wahine than earlier historians have, and deals carefully with contested events. The excellent book production is a credit to the publishers.

Tumble is a celebration of poetry and the long tradition that has led to this moment. Through her layering of art, re-imagining of historic moments and firm nods to poets past, Joanna Preston reminds us of Louise Gluck with her precise, evocative narratives, chiselled out of stone to reveal what was always there. Preston writes with pristine imagery and adept command of vocabulary while crafting her poetry to deeply satisfying musicality, rhythm and cadence. Simply written, yet dramatic and powerfully eloquent, each poem in this book is a banger. Tumble is an exhilarating read that hurls us across time and space giving us the sense that all of it – from Lucifer's fall to Christchurch's earthquake – is part of the same powerful play.