Inaugural NZSA Shaw Writer’s Award Goes To Steph Matuku!

The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) congratulates Steph Matuku on winning the inaugural NZSA Shaw Writer’s Award 2024.

Steph Matuku, who has written several books for young people, will use the award to help complete the writing of The Blue Dawn, a novel set in early 19th century New Zealand, when the whaling industry was at its peak. Māori mythology and tradition collide with capitalism and brutal progress, as a grieving fugitive hunts the giant octopus that will lead her to her ancestors’ homeland.

The judging panel of Dr Paula Morris and Catherine Roberston said, “This is Steph Matuku’s first adult novel, and we thought the concept shows great promise. Steph is a hard-working writer and will make good use of this grant.”

Tina Shaw said, “I've just read and enjoyed Steph's YA novel Migration, and was really impressed. She is obviously a very talented and dedicated writer. I'm pleased to see that Steph is now moving towards an adult readership with a novel that sounds exciting and imaginative and draws on a strong mythical element from te ao Māori.”

Of this year’s applicants, the judges said, “The number of applications shows how much need there is for an award like this. Authors often struggle at the mid-career point, and if they cannot find the right acknowledgment and support, may decide to give up. In creating the shortlist, we favoured applicants who were obviously committed to their writing career and really needed that boost to get over the midway hump. Our thanks to Tina for providing this opportunity for New Zealand writers, and congratulations to the first recipient.”

The $5,000 award was established by award-winning novelist Tina Shaw to encourage the development of new novels by mid-career fiction writers.

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