The Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry is an award at the

Ockham New Zealand Book Awards The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are literary awards presented annually in New Zealand. The awards began in 1996 as the merger of two literary awards events: the New Zealand Book Awards, which ran from 1976 to 1995, and the Goodman Fielder W ...

, presented annually to the winner of the poetry category. The winner receives a 10,000 prize.

History

The New Zealand Book Awards were set up by the New Zealand Literary Fund, a government organisation, in 1976. Annual awards were presented for literary merit in fiction, non-fiction, poetry and (later) book production. The Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards, New Zealand's other principal literary awards event, did not specifically award poetry prizes until 1994, when sponsorship was taken over by

Montana Wines Brancott Estate is the brand adopted since 2010 by Pernod Ricard for New Zealand's largest wine producer, formerly Montana Wines, which now operates as the New Zealand division of Pernod Ricard Winemakers. The name comes from its Brancott winer ...

and the event's name was changed to the Montana Book Awards. In 1994 and 1995, the Montana Book Awards included a category for poetry. In 1996, the two awards events were merged to create the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, and offering prizes in six categories, including poetry. In 2010, the

New Zealand Post NZ Post ( mi, Tukurau Aotearoa), shortened from New Zealand Post, is a state-owned enterprise responsible for providing postal service in New Zealand. The New Zealand Post Office, a government agency, provided postal, banking, and telecommuni ...

took over as sponsor, having supported the

New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governm ...

for the previous 14 years. In 2015, Auckland property development firm Ockham Residential assumed sponsorship of the awards. No prizes were presented in that year. The Poetry Award was presented from 2016 to 2019. In 2020, the name of the award was changed to the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry.

Winners of the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry, 2020–present

* 2022:

Joanna Preston Joanna Preston (born 1972) is an Australian poet, editor and creative writing tutor based in New Zealand. She has published two award-winning collections of poetry. Life and career Preston was born in Sydney in 1972, and grew up in rural New S ...

, Tumble.

Otago University Press Otago University Press is an academic publisher associated with the University of Otago. The press is located in Dunedin, New Zealand. The Otago University Press is the oldest academic publisher in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Otago University Press p ...

* 2021:

Tusiata Avia Donna Tusiata Avia (born 1966) is a New Zealand poet and children's author. Background Avia was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her father is Samoan and her mother is Palagi (New Zealand European). Avia graduated from the Univ ...

, ''The Savage Coloniser Book''.

Victoria University Press Te Herenga Waka University Press or THWUP (formerly Victoria University Press) is the book publishing arm of Victoria University of Wellington, located in Wellington, New Zealand. As of 2022, the press had published around 800 books. History Vi ...

*2020:

Helen Rickerby Helen Rickerby is a New Zealand poet, writer, editor and publisher. In 2020, she won the Mary and Peter Biggs poetry prize at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Biography In 1995, she was part of the group that founded ''JAAM'' literary journa ...

, ''How to Live''.

Auckland University Press Auckland University Press is a New Zealand publisher that produces creative and scholarly work for a general audience. Founded in 1966 and formally recognised as Auckland University Press in 1972, it is an independent publisher based within The ...

Winners of the Ockhams New Zealand Book Award for Poetry, 2016–2019

* 2019:

Helen Heath Helen Heath (born 1970) is a poet from New Zealand. Background Heath is based in Wellington, New Zealand. She received her MA and PhD in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters, at the Victoria University of Wellin ...

, ''Are Friends Electric?''.

* 2018:

Elizabeth Smither Elizabeth Edwina Smither (born 15 September 1941) is a New Zealand poet and writer. Life and career Smither was born in New Plymouth, and worked there part-time as a librarian. Her first collection of poetry, ''Here Come the Clouds'', was publi ...

, ''Night Horse''. Auckland University Press * 2017: Andrew Johnston, ''Fits & Starts''. Victoria University Press * 2016: David Eggleton, ''The Conch Trumpet''.

Winners of the New Zealand Post Book Award for Poetry, 2010–2014

* 2014: Vincent O'Sullivan, ''Us, Then''. Victoria University Press * 2013: Anne Kennedy, ''The Darling North''. Auckland University Press * 2012:

Rhian Gallagher Rhian Gallagher (born 1961) is a poet from New Zealand. Background Gallagher was born in 1961 in Timaru, New Zealand. She currently lives in Dunedin. Career Between 1995 and 2005, Gallagher worked in publishing in London before returning t ...

, ''Shift''. Auckland University Press * 2011:

Kate Camp Kate Camp (born 1972) is a New Zealand poet and author who currently resides in Wellington. Early life and education Camp was born in 1972 in Wellington, New Zealand. She has a BA in English from the Victoria University of Wellington. Career ...

, ''The Mirror of Simple Annihilated Souls''. Victoria University Press * 2010: Brian Turner, ''Just This''. Victoria University Press

Winners of the Montana New Zealand Book Award for Poetry, 1996–2009

* 2009:

Jenny Bornholdt Jennifer Mary Bornholdt (born 1 November 1960) is a New Zealand poet and anthologist. Biography Born in Lower Hutt, Bornholdt received a bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Diploma in Journalism. She studied poetry with Bill Manhire ...

, ''The Rocky Shore''. Victoria University Press * 2008:

Janet Charman Janet Charman (born 1954) is a poet from New Zealand. Background Born in 1954, Charman grew up in the Hutt Valley and Taranaki. Charman initially trained as a nurse and worked in social welfare. After receiving an MA in English from the Univ ...

, ''Cold Snack''. Auckland University Press * 2007:

Janet Frame Janet Paterson Frame (28 August 1924 – 29 January 2004) was a New Zealand author. She was internationally renowned for her work, which included novels, short stories, poetry, juvenile fiction, and an autobiography, and received numerous awar ...

, ''The Goose Bath''.

Vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

* 2006:

Bill Manhire William Manhire (born 27 December 1946) is a New Zealand poet, short story writer, emeritus professor, and New Zealand's inaugural Poet Laureate (1997–1998). He founded New Zealand's first creative writing course at Victoria University of Well ...

, ''Lifted''. Victoria University Press * 2005: Vincent O'Sullivan, ''Nice morning for it, Adam'' * 2004: Anne Kennedy, ''Sing-song'' * 2003:

Glenn Colquhoun Dr. Glenn Colquhoun (born 1964) is a New Zealand poet and general practitioner. Life Colquhoun was born in Papakura, Auckland, and practices medicine on the Kapiti Coast. He lives in Waikawa Beach with his young daughter Olive. Colquhoun's firs ...

, ''Playing God'' * 2002:

Hone Tuwhare Honing is a kind of metalworking. Hone may also refer to: * Hone (name) (incl. Hōne), a list of people with the surname, given name or nickname * Hõne language Hõne is a Jukunoid language spoken in Gombe State and Taraba State, Nigeria ...

, ''Piggy-Back Moon'' * 2001:

Allen Curnow Thomas Allen Monro Curnow (17 June 1911 – 23 September 2001) was a New Zealand poet and journalist. Life Curnow was born in Timaru, New Zealand, the son of a fourth generation New Zealander, an Anglican clergyman, and he grew up in a relig ...

, ''The Bells of Saint Babels'' *

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, ''The Lark Quartet'' *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

: Vincent O'Sullivan, ''Seeing You Asked'' *

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, ''Shape-Shifter'' *

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

Gregory O'Brien Gregory Leo O’Brien (born 1961) is a New Zealand poet, painter and editor. Life Born in Matamata in 1961, O'Brien trained as a journalist in Auckland and worked as a newspaper reporter in Northland. He graduated from the University of Auckl ...

, Mark Williams, eds., ''Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English'' * 1996:

, ''My Sunshine''

Winners of the Montana Book Award for Poetry, 1994–1995

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, ''Pieces of Music'' *

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

, ed., ''100 New Zealand Poems''

Winners of the New Zealand Book Award for Poetry, 1976–1995

Michele Leggott Michele Joy Leggott (born 1956) is a New Zealand poet, and an emeritus professor of English at the University of Auckland. She was the New Zealand Poet Laureate between 2007 and 2009. Biography Leggott was born in Stratford, New Zealand, and ...

, ''Dia'' *

: Andrew Johnston, ''How to Talk'' *

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

: Brian Turner, ''Beyond'' * 1992:

, ''Milky Way Bar'' *

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

Cilla McQueen Priscilla Muriel McQueen (born 22 January 1949 in Birmingham, England) is a poet and three-time winner of the ''New Zealand Book Award'' for Poetry. Early years and education McQueen's family moved to New Zealand when she was four. She was educ ...

, ''Berlin Diary'' *

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

, ''A Pattern of Marching'' *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

, ''Benzina'' *

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

Anne French Anne French (born 1956) is a New Zealand editor and poet. Life French was born in Wellington, New Zealand. She graduated from Wellington Girls' College and Victoria University of Wellington with an MA. She worked as an editor for Oxford Univer ...

, ''All Cretans are Liars'' *

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, ''The Loop in Lone Kauri Road'' *

: Elizabeth Nannestad, ''Jump'' *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

: Kendrick Smithyman, ''Stories About Wooden Keyboards'' *

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, ''Zoetropes'' *

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

Fleur Adcock Fleur Adcock (born 10 February 1934) is a New Zealand poet and editor, of English and Northern Irish ancestry, who has lived much of her life in England. She is well-represented in New Zealand poetry anthologies, was awarded an honorary doc ...

, ''Selected Poems'' *

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, ''You Will Know When You Get There'' *

, ''Homing In'' * 1982: Alistair Campbell, ''Collected Poems'' *

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, ''Wall'' *

, ''An Incorrigible Music'' *

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

Kevin Ireland Kevin Mark Ireland (né Jowsey; 18 July 1933 – 19 May 2023) was a New Zealand poet, short story writer, novelist and librettist.

, ''Literary Cartoons'' * 1978:

, ''How to Take Your Clothes Off at a Picnic'' * 1978:

Ian Wedde Ian Curtis Wedde (born 17 October 1946) is a New Zealand poet, fiction writer, critic, and art curator. Biography Born in Blenheim, New Zealand, Wedde lived in East Pakistan and England as a child before returning to New Zealand. He attended ...

, ''Spells for Coming Down'' *

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

Ruth Dallas Ruth Minnie Mumford (29 September 1919 – 18 March 2008), better known by her pen name Ruth Dallas, was a New Zealand poet and children's author. Biography Dallas was born in Invercargill, the daughter of Frank and Minnie Mumford. She became ...

, ''Walking in the Snow'' *

: Alan Loney, ''Dear Mondrian'' *

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

: Louis Johnson, ''Fires and Patterns'' *

: C.K. Stead, ''Quesada''

Notes

{{reflist

External links

Official website of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards
New Zealand poetry awards