Te Herenga Waka University Press

29/08/2025

Quick! This weekend is your last chance to get some half-price books (with free postage in NZ). 📚🏃‍♀️

Te Herenga Waka University Press publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction by leading and emerging voices from Aotearoa New Zealand.

28/08/2025

We have novelist Carl Shuker in this evening to talk about his work at 6pm! will be selling books as well. Come on out for our two favourite things: literature and libations.

Tickets are $20, but include a draught beer, glass of wine, or mocktail.

14/08/2025

It's publication day for this gorgeous new edition of Chemistry by Damien Wilkins! 🎉

From the author of Delirious, winner of the 2025 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, Chemistry – first published in 2002 – is a riveting story about families in crisis.

The new cover is by Sarah Wilkins.
Author photo by Ebony Lamb.

More on the book here: https://teherengawakapress.co.nz/products/chemistry-b-format

01/08/2025

Today we're launching our biggest sale ever, to celebrate the move to a shiny new website.

www.teherengawakapress.co.nz

✨ Smooth new website experience
📚 50% off ALL books from 2022 & earlier
🗓️ For all of August, while stocks last

Hundreds of books are half price. We're talking Catherine Chidgey's backlist. Pip Adam's early books. Tayi Tibble's poetry. Plus fascinating gems from our archives dating back to the 1940s – some weird and wonderful titles you won't find anywhere else any more.

This is your chance to explore eight decades of New Zealand publishing and find some bargains, while getting familiar with our fresh new online shop. Standard post remains free within New Zealand, so load up with new reads!

The 'Books by Year' page is a great way to find the sale books.

If you experience any niggles as you move around the website, or have suggestions for improvements, please let us know! Just email [email protected].

Te Herenga Waka University Press publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction by leading and emerging voices from Aotearoa New Zealand.

14/05/2025

The winner of the 2025 E.H. McCormick Prize for General Non-Fiction is Una Cruickshank for The Chthonic Cycle! 'In this singular essay collection, Una Cruickshank uses pearls, jet, amber, coral, and other biogenic talismans to open new perspectives on climate change, humanity, and maybe even hope. The Chthonic Cycle is bold and convention-breaking, and unlike anything the judges had read before,' said the judges.

Te Herenga Waka University Press

14/05/2025

Michelle Rahurahu (Ngāti Rahurahu, Ngāti Tahu–Ngāti Whaoa) wins the 2025 Hubert Church Prize for Fiction for her debut novel Poorhara! 'Poorhara is a road trip novel unlike any other. Two cousins, Erin and Star, pile into a 1994 Daihatsu Mira in a desperate bid to escape the suffocation of racism and poverty, the rigid expectations of whānau, and the trajectory of their own pasts. The judges were impressed by the urgency of Michelle Rahurahu's tragi-comic crises and the clarity of her depiction of colonialism, a presence in the book as incessant and rotten as Star’s relentless toothache,' said the judges.

Te Herenga Waka University Press

14/05/2025

The winner of the 2025 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction goes to Damien Wilkins for his novel Delirious. Huge congratulations, Damien! 'Delirious is an unforgettable work of fiction that navigates momentous themes with elegance and honesty.

‘With a gift for crisp, emotionally rich digression, Damien Wilkins immerses readers in Mary and Pete’s grapples with ageing and their contemplations of lost loved ones who still thrive in vivid memories.

‘What stood out to the judges was the assured but understated touch of prose as it flows elegantly across decades, threads the intricacies of relationship, and fathoms the ongoing evolution of a couple’s grief.

‘Intimate, funny, and, above all, honest, Delirious is an absorbing, inspiring novel, and a damn fine read,’ said the judges.

Te Herenga Waka University Press

14/05/2025

Congratulations to the Ockhams 2025 Best First Book Awards winners! These fantastic books are available to buy online now, or seek them out at your local bookstore or library.

Read the full story here: https://tinyurl.com/3hu9chu5

With thanks to the Matatuhi Foundation for their generous support.

Te Herenga Waka University Press Auckland University Press

08/05/2025

What a month! We are so thrilled to be publishing our May books, all three of which have already received rave reviews. A stunning essay collection by Tina Makereti, an excellent new poetry collection by Mikaela Nyman, and a phenomenal novel by Catherine Chidgey. Huge congratulations to these writers ✨ And readers: you're in for a treat!

06/05/2025

From tomorrow, 8 May, you should be able to walk into any bookshop in Aotearoa and pick up a copy of The Book of Guilt! The wonderful booksellers can't wait to share this one with you ✨

08/11/2024

Our November books are out now. ✨✨ We have the dark laughs, the grapple with existential dread, the political memoir, the book you must read if you want to start a band in Aotearoa, and a world where things become clearer in reverse ...

We're so proud of these authors. Huge congratulations to:
Carl Shuker for his new novel The Royal Free (launched by Damien Wilkins tonight at Unity Books Wellington, 6pm; all welcome!);
Una Cruickshank for her stunning debut essay collection The Chthonic Cycle;
Daniel Beban for his fascinating music history Future Jaw-Clap: The Primitive Art Group and Braille Collective Story;
Derek Quigley for Challenging the Status Quo, a new memoir of a life in politics;
and Pip Adam, whose modern classic I'm Working on a Building is now available in a sparkly new edition.

Available from good bookstores and here on our website: https://teherengawakapress.co.nz/