Acclaimed and beloved New Zealand children's author Margaret Mahy passed away in Christchurch on July 23, aged 76, after a brief illness.

The author of hundreds of titles, translated into 15 languages, captured the imaginations of both young and old, at home and throughout the world.

She held New Zealand’s highest honour, the Order of New Zealand, and received many of the world’s major prizes for children’s writers, including the Carnegie Medal and the Hans Christian Andersen Award or her lasting contribution to children’s literature.

In her long career Mahy wrote picture books, stories for the educational market, many novels for children and young adults, anthologies of stories and poetry, and plays for stage and television, both for adults and children. Her work has been adapted for film and television, and translated into more than 15 languages.

The New Zealand Book Council said Mahy’s books ring with humour, fantasy, adventure, science and the supernatural, but always engage with the ordinary world.

“Her personality will be sadly missed in the New Zealand children's publishing world, but her work will live on and continue to entertain further generations of New Zealanders.”

Prime Minister John Key today expressed his sorrow at the passing of Mahy.

“Ms Mahy’s books, short stories and contributions to the New Zealand School Journal have been part of New Zealand children’s lives for generations.  She is widely acknowledged as one of this country’s finest authors, and one of the world’s greatest writers of children’s and young adults’ stories.”

“I am sure her stories will remain firm favourites among children here and overseas for years to come.”

Margaret Mahy was born in Whakatane in 1936, and wrote her first story at the age of seven. Her first book to be published was A Lion in the Meadow in 1969. In 1980 she became a fulltime writer and has gone on to win numerous awards and honours. She is survived by two daughters and six grandchildren. She lived most of her adult life in Governors Bay, Lyttelton.

Further information on history and career

• The New Zealand Book Council profile
• Christchurch City Library profile
• Wikipedia
• Beattie's Book Blog updates and tributes
• Arts Foundation Icon Artist profile
• Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust
• The Inaugural Storylines Margaret Mahy Award lecture transcript (1991) [PDF]
• Radio New Zealand collection of interviews and other podcasts

Excerpt from 2008 animated documentary, 'A Tall, Long Faced Tale'. Mahy is interviewed at her Governor's Bay home by friend and fellow author Elizabeth Knox. Knox is aided and abetted by Mahy's beloved storybook characters who put her on the spot about their origins. In this excerpt the famous lion from 'The Lion in the Meadow' thanks her for making him yellow, and Mahy talks about eating porridge thrice a day as a young solo mum.

An excerpt from the 2004 documentary 'Made in New Zealand - Margaret Mahy.' The film takes a line from her award-winning story 'The Changeover '–  “[… ] made in New Zealand, it said, Wisdom Laboratories, Paraparaumu” – and uses it to talk about the importance of New Zealand settings, her international successes, and her life as a writer. Mahy is filmed at her home in Governor’s Bay, speaking to children in her famous rainbow wig, and out and about on Akaroa Peninsula.