When a sector unites for a common cause - it sends quite the statement.

And that’s the case after 40 representatives from right across the Aotearoa book sector have put their names to a document they hope will help increase the visibility and sales of books by local authors.

It’s a broad representation, with authors, illustrators, publishers, booksellers, writer festivals, copyright specialists, librarians, readers and educators all signing on for Mahi Tahi Work Together: A Strategic Plan for the Aotearoa New Zealand Book Sector 2025 – 2030. 

There’s some heavy hitting agencies and organisations involved, with representatives of Creative New Zealand (Malcolm Burgess), Ministry of Culture and Heritage (Oliver Powell),  Coalition for NZ Books (Melanie Laville-Moore), Read NZ (Juliet Blyth), WeCreate (Paula Browning) Publishers Association of NZ (Graeme Cosslet), NZ Society of Authors (Jenny Nagle), Copyright NZ (Sam Irvine) and the National Library (Mark Crookston and Elizabeth Jones) throwing their weight behind it.

Festival and award powerhouses Catriona Ferguson (Auckland Writers Festival), Steph Walker (Word Christchurch), Nicola Legat (Book Awards Trust) and Tracey Sharp (Going West) are on board, as are highly-regarded writers Kate Fisher, Paula Morris, Lee Murray, Vanda Symon and Melinda Syzmanik.

As you can see below, it takes a whole sector to make a book come to life.

They’ve worked carefully to ensure that Mahi Tahi aligns with the Government’s Creative and Cultural Strategy, Amplify. Laville-Moore outlines the priority areas the group want to see the support of political powerbrokers.

“The sector wants to work with government to modernise the Copyright Act and the Public Lending Right Act to protect and value intellectual property in the digital age, addressing risks such as AI misuse and copyright infringement.

“Books and literature need to have a dedicated literary funding stream within CNZ, ensuring equity with other creative sectors. And we want books and writers to be included in cultural diplomacy efforts internationally, to grow export revenue for the literary arts.

“A unified approach to government regarding these significant opportunities for the sector signals our collective intent.” 

It’s the first time there’s been a coalition of such size come together officially for the good of the sector - as Laville-Moore states, “By working together, we can ensure the book sector in Aotearoa New Zealand continues to thrive, enriched by diverse local voices and fostering a strong reading culture.”

The strategy is many pronged - with 15 different sub-headings including unified cultural and economic advocacy, support for Indigenous and diverse stories,  increased presence in international markets, campaigns focussing on reading and buying local books, digital adaption and interactive platforms.

Mahi Tahi’s purpose is broken down into four objectives;  

• Strengthen the Book Sector and its Ecosystem by fostering strong connections among writers, publishers, booksellers, libraries and readers to create a collaborative environment, and strengthen ties with government and the broader creative sector.
• Promote Local Content and Voices (locally and internationally) by prioritising the creation, distribution and consuming of NZ stories across various media, ensuring representation from diverse communities.
• Improve Access and Equity by ensuring equitable access to books and reading materials, careers and opportunities for all New Zealanders, regardless of background or education.
• Support Sustainable Careers by developing career pathways and vocational training opportunities within the book sector to foster talent and job growth. 

Citing some promising stats in spite of the current economic pressures, Laville-Moore notes domestic publishing revenue grew by 5% in 2024.

“Local book lovers are reading more novels written by NZ writers than ever before, across all genre: crime, contemporary, historical and literary fiction. The ‘cultural cringe’ days where Kiwis shied away from reading books written by their own are gone.  

“One of the aims of collaborating as a sector is to capitalise on the hunger Kiwis are showing for stories by and about ourselves.”

Boosting the sales of educational and children’s books is listed as a priority. The strategic plans explains unit sales of educational books, or those titles destined for early childhood, primary and secondary institutions recorded a small gain of 4% in the past year, bouncing back from a 22% decrease in 2023,.  

“The positive impacts of reading at home and at school on student literacy performance are well established. Studies like PISA demonstrate that reading for enjoyment is associated with higher literacy achievement. This suggests a correlation between declining literacy rates and declining sales of books for students and children,” declares Laville-Moore. 

“As a unified sector, we can work alongside government to address the longtime trend of declining literacy rates. There is huge potential there.’” 

The wero has been laid - will the government respond to the challenge?

Stand-up Guy

It was Australian TV’s night of nights - but a couple of Kiwis made sure our trans-Tasman neighbours knew that Aotearoa’s got the chops to crash the party.

The Logies are a big deal in Australia, regular debated through the media and in pubs on who deserved to win what. The biggest names in Aussie broadcasting see it as the industry’s ultimate accolade.

After doing it all in New Zealand comedy, winning both coveted comedy titles The Billy T and the Fred Award, Guy Montgomery shows funny is an exportable talent by taking his panel show Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee across the ditch with huge success, seeing him claim the Logie’s Most Popular New Talent award.

If you have any concerns of Mr Montgomery becoming the latest poached talent to share space alongside the pavlova and Phar Lap - fear not. The talented comedian has not forgotten his roots.

As he noted in his acceptance speech "I am from New Zealand... I know, so I am so sorry to all of your country — but suck it, we got one up on you this time."

To celebrate, this parochial Kiwi is doing what he does best, coming home for the final show on his 2025 tour at Auckland’s Aotea Centre on 15 August.

Also sticking one to the Aussies, Sir Sam Neill overcame a list of Green and Gold talent to win best lead actor in a drama for his role in The Twelve - he wasn’t there to accept his award, sparing the hosts another shot across the bow.

Global opportunity

The New Zealand Film Commission’s making further strides to get Aotearoa film-makers into the global market.

They’ve just announced the first creatives placed in its International Placement Initiative, designed to help emerging to mid-career writers, directors and producers develop overseas industry networks, learn and refine filmmaking skills, and gain work experience within selected global film companies later this year.

Award-winning documentary director and producer Julia Parnell is London-bound to spend six months with Misfits Entertainment, looking to add to her body of work that includes SIX60: Till the Lights Go Out, Waiata Anthems, The Chills: The Triumph and Tragedy of Martin Phillipps.

The inaugural Raye Freedman Legacy Award winner at this year’s Doc Edge Festival, Parnell feel deeply honoured to be given this major career boost. 

”After a career spent directing and producing documentaries in Aotearoa, this is a rare opportunity to step into a world-class environment, absorb new ways of working, and challenge myself to think even bigger. I’m excited to bring these insights back to New Zealand and continue growing our documentary stories for a global audience.” 

Lizzie Gillett, Head of Documentary at Misfits Entertainment enthuses “I grew up in Dunedin and came to London in my early 20s to try and get a successful career in documentaries going. I have benefitted hugely from the size and breadth of the documentary industry here in London, and I know Julia will too. I’m excited to introduce Julia to this community and all our networks which starts with our wonderful Misfits team in Soho Square.

“Julia has already established herself as a successful, hard-working documentary filmmaker in NZ and we know she will add to what we, at Misfits, can do. We’re especially excited about her skill and experience developing projects creatively, seeing what the best and most powerful angle is on a story, establishing a rapport with contributors, and her enthusiastic attitude.”

The other announced recipient is Ashleigh Roworth, who will spend six months at Keeper Pictures in Dublin - another step in a career that began in advertising and has evolved into film - producing short film, A Very Good Boy which will be shown at this month’s Venice International Film Festival.

A thankful Roworth states “This placement is a huge opportunity for my career as a filmmaker. I'm excited for the experience I’ll gain and the connections I’ll make, and to bring this back to the industry in Aotearoa.”

Keeper Pictures’ Head of Creative/Producer Yvonne Donohoe adds “In Ashleigh’s interview, she brought a calm confidence, genuine curiosity, and an authentic connection to our ethos and the kinds of stories we champion. There was an openness in how she approached the conversation that really resonated with us, and a clear desire to learn by doing, qualities that we value deeply.

“Recently through our Irish/New Zealand co-production series The Gone, we’ve enjoyed a wonderful collaboration with New Zealand’s incredible local industry. We’re looking forward to continuing the exchange of ideas, experiences, and creative energy this new opportunity will bring.”

NZFC Head of Funding, Ainsley Gardiner is confident this initiative will have long-term benefits on the sector in Aotearoa. 

“Our film community thrives on relationships, and these international placements create significant opportunities for both the selected individuals, as well as the projects and communities they serve in Aotearoa. Having an emerging practitioner and seasoned professional secure placements with leading global companies reassures me the lessons learned will have an impact at an industry level.”

The remaining position in the International Placement Initiative will be announced soon.

Time to go for Kaho

A trip to Hawai’i sounds like just the ticket right about now - and poet Simone Kaho is heading there with more than just beaches on her mind.

She’s been named Fulbright New Zealand and CNZ’s 2025 Pacific Writer’s Residency recipient, the annual award that allows her to work on a creative writing project exploring Pacific identity, culture or history at the University of Hawai'i for three months.

Kaho states “It's a fabulous thing to receive institutional support for work that is so challenging. What if our most profound connections aren’t just with family, but in deep attunement with nature, recognising patterns in the unseen, and finding new ways to move forward? In this project, I'll be drawing theoretical lines between Pacific people who are neurodiverse, and the traits of Pacific wayfinders—and I hope to find evidence of these in Hawai'i’s research archives.” 

Makerita Urale knows exactly the opportunity that awaits Kaho - CNZ’s Senior Manager Pacific Arts is an alumna of the residency herself, alongside names of the calibre of Tusiata Avia, Oscar Kightley, Mīria George and Victor Rodger.

“Simone’s work is fearless and deeply grounded in lived experience and cultural insight. This residency is a fitting next step for an artist of her calibre, and we look forward to seeing how her time in Hawai'i will further shape and strengthen her work.”

Fulbright NZ Executive Director Penelope Borland is excited to enable Kaho ”to continue her work that has already received widespread acclaim, most recently seeing her take up the 2022 Emerging Pasifika writer in Residence at the prestigious International Institute of Modern Letters.”

Degrees of success

Speaking of alumni, some leading creatives have been honoured by their former university - proof that BA’s are worth more than the 'Bugger All' many parents have alluded to over the years.

Victoria University of Wellington’s announced it’s biennial Distinguished Alumni Awards where they single out five of the “brightest and boldest innovators, visionaries, and community connectors” from within its 140,000 alumni.

A trio of talented of artists have been included - with recent Officer of the NZ Order of Merit Dai Henwood receiving another accolade in his extraordinary career that started with a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 where he studied theatre and film - before going onto to bring laughs to the nation over the last quarter of a century. 

The nine-time Best Male Comedian award winner has been a hit in a multitude of TV and radio roles and is a best-selling author with autobiography The Life of Dai, proving inspirational as well as entertaining as he shares his journey through stage 4 cancer. 

Leading light in the world of Aotearoa performing arts Tanea Heke - another BA graduate from 1995 - has also been recognised for a career that seen her star on screen and stage, as well as give back to the sector. 

The Arts Foundation trustee and Member of the NZ Order of Merit, Heke’s had many triumphs as an actor, director and producer, including a captivating performance in hit local film Cousins. She co-founded Hāpai Productions, a mana wahine, kaupapa Māori theatre company and has been Director of Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School since 2019, ensuring the next wave of performance talent is in amazing hands.

Historian Dr Vincent O’Malley’s VUW PhD in 2004 is among the many accomplishments that the award-winning Wellington writer and historian is being recognised for, with his incredible body of work one of the most celebrated in the country. 2022 was a particularly memorable year in his career, winning the general non-fiction prize at the Ockham NZ Book Awards as well as receiving the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in the same genre.

They’re joined in the Distinguished Alumni recipients by physicist and CEO of OpenStar Technologies Dr Ratu Mataira and respected diplomat and peace broker Dr David Harland - the quintet will be celebrated at an event on 18 September.

Youth theatre focus

16 performing arts minds will come together in Tāmaki Makaurau later this month to build their ideas for entertaining for young audiences into reality.

Performing Arts and Young People Aotearoa (PAPYA) have announced a group of playwrights, puppeteers, choreographers, acrobats, DJs, and devisors that have been relocate for this year’s Creative Residency on 22-24 August.

PAPYA board member Lynne Cardy - who is coordinating the residency - told The Lowdown “We want to support a range of theatre makers to consider young audiences. So, the call out was for practitioners with previous experience in developing a work from concept to stage - but not necessarily a work for children. 

“It was hard to choose because this is about supporting ideas and there were a lot of good ideas! However, we were drawn to those with bold and interesting concepts that we all agreed were relevant and exciting to develop with young audiences in mind.”

There are a number of colleagues picked to attend the 2.5 day residency that comes with a stipend, travel support, accommodation, meals and workshops. Whangārei-based pair Tomasin Fisher-Johnson and Thomas Gowing are founding members of Company of Giants, while Georgie Llewellyn will have familiar company, both with How to Art co-creator and performer Katie Burson and their A Fool’s Company partner Mel Cameron.

Also taking part are experienced dancer and choreographer Jessie McCall, comedian and theatre-maker Janaye Henry, String Bean Puppets performer Anna Bailey, PG Productions co-founder Lana Petrović, multi-discipline creative Renee Liang, te ao Māoris allrounder Bea Gladding and Stormy Kay, Medium-hoping producer and director Kelly Gilbride, Wellington-based theatre-maker Amy Grace Laura, Aotearoa-based Argentine theatre artist and drama teacher Betsabé Quintero and well-travelled performer Jesse Dean Miller

Youth-focused theatre is a genre that is under-represented in funding and has seen the loss of several long-running institutions that specialised in the area. Initiatives like this are crucial in ensuring young minds are exposed to creative concepts.