New Voices of Aotearoa 2026 Announced: Meet the writers shaping the future of New Zealand literature

Eight standout authors set to define the next chapter of New Zealand writing have secured places on the 2026 New Voices of Aotearoa list.

Selected by an expert judging panel and administered by the Coalition for Books, New Voices of Aotearoa is an annual initiative shining a spotlight on exceptional and distinctive writing talent across fiction, poetry and non-fiction.

Now in its second year, NVA is about connecting readers with authors who have already demonstrated early commercial and critical success; a laser point on writers to watch and read now.

The 2026 New Voices of Aotearoa are: Ōtaki-based writer and public servant Tihema Baker (Raukawa te Au ki te Tonga, Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira); Auckland-based poet and storyteller Amber Esau (Ngāpuhi, Manase); Hastings award-winning poet and storyteller Nafanua Purcell Kersel (Satupa‘itea, Faleālupo, Aleipata, Tuaefu); Auckland-based te reo Māori journalist and author Dr Atakohu Middleton (Waikato, Pākehā); bestselling Scottish-New Zealand crime writer Zoe Rankin; US-New Zealand forager, fungi enthusiast and bestselling author Liv Sisson; #1 bestselling novelist Jennifer Trevelyan; and Christchurch academic and historian Dr Madi Williams (Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Kōata, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Rangitāne o Wairau).

Coalition for Books chair Melanie Laville Moore says readers keen to explore dynamic, fresh and highly contemporary books need to seek out these authors’ books.

‘They’re the interesting writers capturing the mood of the moment while showing readers where literature is headed next. Whether writing fiction or non-fiction, they stand out for their ability to connect with readers through books that are gripping, thought-provoking and deeply affecting.’

The New Voices of Aotearoa 2026 was judged by author, academic and architect Jade Kake (Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa, Whakatōhea); reviewer and former books editor of The Dominion Post (now The Post) and former books and culture editor of the New Zealand Listener Guy Somerset; and bestselling author and co-owner of Wardini Books Louise Ward.

Tīhema Baker’s first adult novel Turncoat (Lawrence & Gibson) was a critical and commercial success and longlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2024. His second adult book One Day a Taniwha will be published by Moa Press, Hachette in August 2026.

NVA26 judge Jade Kake says Tihema Baker is a bold new voice in contemporary fiction. ‘From political satire and science fiction to contemporary Māori magic realism, Tīhema's writing is sharp, incisive and of our place and time.’

Amber Esau’s defiant, celebratory and world-building first collection of poetry, Hungus (Te Herenga Waka University Press), was published to acclaim in March this year.

Kake comments that Amber’s words resonate and linger in the wairua long after you finish absorbing them from the page. ‘A double punch for the ngākau and the hinengaro.’

Nafanua Purcell Kersel won the country’s most prestigious poetry award for her first poetry collection Black Sugarcane (Te Herenga Waka University Press) – the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2026.

NVA26 judge Louise Ward says Nafanua addresses challenging ideas in her poetry with a gentle elegance, landing heartbreak and joy on the reader. ‘Her work deftly places us in Samoa and Aotearoa, inviting us to visit places most of us have never been.’

Waka Aroha by Atakohu Middleton will be the first-ever collection of short stories for adults written in te reo Māori, to be published by Auckland University Press in September. Her first book was Kia Hiwa Rā!: Māori Journalism in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Kake says: ‘He whakatutuki tino whakahirahira. He puna mō te whakarauora o te reo Māori, otirā, he haerenga ngahau te pānui!’

‘An incredible achievement. Atakohu has written this collection of short stories for adults in te reo Māori, the first writer to do so. A wellspring for the revitalisation of te reo Māori, and, more importantly, a joy to read!’

Zoe Rankin’s first book The Vanishing Place (Moa Press) about a shocking murder set in dense New Zealand bush, catapulted to the bestseller charts on publication in September last year and has largely remained there ever since. The psychological thriller has secured valuable publishing deals in the UK and the US.

NVA judge Guy Somerset says Zoe has a firm grasp of New Zealand gothic and its enduring appeal. ‘… thrilling and terrifying. Rankin’s writing is as visceral about the bush as it is about the violence that inhabits it.’

Fungi of Aotearoa: A curious forager’s guide (Penguin NZ) by Liv Sisson captured a public mood and became a major commercial success. It was also a critically acclaimed, winning the Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Ilustrated Non-Fiction at the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

Liv Sisson’s second book Butterflies and Moths of Aotearoa is out in November 2026.

NVA judge Louise Ward says Liv’s writing makes you want to get outside and stick your face into the bush. ‘Her descriptions of fungi have an almost Steinbeckian, zoom-in quality; you can smell and taste the landscapes through this writing and end up being ‘bemushroomed’ along with her.’

Jennifer Trevelyan’s first book A Beautiful Family (Allen & Unwin), has sold around 30,000 copies, won notable fans such as Liane Moriarty and Hannah Kent, and had its rights bought by US and UK publishers.

‘In the utterly convincing voice and perspective of her 10-year-old narrator on the precipice of emerging knowledge and understanding, Trevelyan takes the quintessential Kiwi summer beach holiday and turns it

inside out, unravelling the ties and tensions of the two sisters and their parents at its heart, along with the mystery of a young girl missing from the community where they’re staying,’ says Somerset.

Madi Williams’ non-fiction titles are counter narratives in many ways. With her first book Polynesia 900–1600: An Overview of the History of Aotearoa, Rēkohu and Rapa Nui and Ngāti Kuia: He Pūtake, Hei Pakiaka Ora just published by Auckland University Press, she has established herself as one of New Zealand’s most original and exciting historians.

‘Williams brings fresh eyes and thinking to assiduously researched subjects that come alive under the light she shines on them. It’s a light that benefits us all,’ says Somerset.

The inaugural New Voices of Aotearoa held last year was a commercial success for recipients.

In the 12 weeks after the NVA25 announcement in June 2025, compared to the 12 weeks before, Neilsen Bookscan recorded an average increase of 69% in book sales of the selected authors’ debuts.

‘We’re thrilled that the first New Voices campaign saw an uplift in sales for the recipients. It’s exactly what these hugely talented authors need – a platform for exposure, and a path for future success,’ says Laville Moore.

The Coalition for Books is grateful for the support of Mātātuhi Foundation.