Redemption Songs: A Life of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki by Judith Binney (Auckland University Press & Bridget Williams Books, 1995)
Fiction
Zoology: A Novel by Sheridan Keith (Penguin, 1995)
Poetry
My Sunshine by Bill Manhire (Victoria University Press, 1996)
Illustrative Arts
Gold and Silversmithing in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century New Zealand by Winsome Shepherd (Museum of New Zealand, 1995)
Natural Heritage
Wild Dunedin: The Natural History of New Zealand’s Wildlife Capital by Neville Peat and Brian Patrick (Otago University Press, 1995)
Leisure & Lifestyle
Cook! by Michael Lee-Richards (Reed, 1995)
Honour Award
Nga Iwi o Tainui: The Traditional History of the Tainui People - Nga Koorero Tuku o Nga Tuupuna by Pei Te Hurinui Jones, translated by Bruce Biggs (Auckland University Press, 1995)
Best First Book, Fiction
Not Her Real Name, and Other Stories by Emily Perkins (Victoria University Press, 1996)
Best First Book, Poetry
Go Round Power Please by James Brown (Victoria University Press, 1995)
Best First Book, Non-Fiction
Salmond: Southern Jurist by Alex Frame (Victoria University Press, 1995)
