Gavin Bishop's book Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes was praised for its sense of magic and the way it validates mātauranga and te ao Māori truths at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults on Wednesday.
Bishop has now been awarded the supreme prize more times than any other children's author or illustrator - even the award's namesake Margaret Mahy, who won it twice.
Atua also won the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction and the Russell Clark Award for Illustration.
"The book is much more than a list of gods and legendary heroes - it's a family tree, presented with power and simplicity," she said.
"The text is never overstated, with the glory of the illustrations as the primary mode of storytelling, rewarding the reader who closely examines them."
Bishop was born in Invercargill, but moved to Christchurch to study at the Canterbury University School of Fine Arts and graduated with an honours degree in painting in 1976.
He then became an art teacher at Te Aratai College, formerly Linwood College, before moving to Christ’s College, when another art teacher suggested he write a book for children.
This year's awards, governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa, attracted a record-breaking 199 entries with 28 titles announced as finalists.
Sonya Wilson signs her book, Spark Hunter, for a student. Photo: RNZ / Lauren Crimp
Kids meet their literary heroes
Before the awards ceremony, finalists hosted 500 tamariki for a day of workshops, book signings and panel discussions to inspire Aotearoa's next generation of authors.
Children from across the Wellington region swarmed through the National Library in Wellington, eager to come face to face with their favourite writers.
Natalie Faletagaloa, a 10-year-old Mount Cook School student, had a chat with her favourite author Lauren Keenan, whose book Amorangi and Millie's Trip Through Time was up for the junior fiction award.
"I actually got her signature and everything, and I got to meet her in person.
"It was really exciting, and I just wanted to hide my face because I was so excited, it was so amazing today."
Mount Cook School teacher Kate Ashby said it was great to see her students engaging with authors and sparking an interest in reading and writing.
"It's amazing to have them hear from real live authors, what that process is like, and some great advice from the authors earlier about 'keep writing, keep reading, have a go, be courageous.'
"So, awesome messages about writing, but also some really great life messages as well, so it's been really cool."
Author Sonya Wilson, who won the Best First Book Award for her tale Spark Hunter, said writing is a solitary pursuit - so to hear kids tell her they loved her story validates the years of effort.
"I just had a kid before tell me that I'd inspired him to write his own book and he wanted me to know that," said Wilson.
"So, yeah [I'm] chuffed, if that's all it does, then that's enough, that's great."
The full list of winners for the 2022 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults:
Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award
Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes, written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Puffin, Penguin Random House)
Picture Book Award
Lion Guards the Cake, written and illustrated by Ruth Paul (Scholastic New Zealand)
Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction
The Memory Thief, written by Leonie Agnew (Puffin, Penguin Random House)
Young Adult Fiction Award
Learning to Love Blue, written by Saradha Koirala (Record Press)
Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction
Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes, written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Puffin, Penguin Random House)
Russell Clark Award for Illustration
Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes, written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Puffin, Penguin Random House)
Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for te reo Māori
I Waho, i te Moana, written by Yvonne Morrison, translated by Pānia Papa and illustrated by Jenny Cooper (Scholastic New Zealand)
NZSA Best First Book Award
Spark Hunter, written by Sonya Wilson (The Cuba Press)
