Gavin Bishop, a man of many hats and Southlander-turned-local, is a much-adored author and illustrator who has become an integral pillar of our Library collection and personal shelves. Gavin now has over 70 books under his belt with the latest being Taniwha – An often-gruesome haerenga through the lands and waters of Aotearoa. Gavin Bishop has whakapapa to Tainui and Ngati Awa iwi.
I was lucky enough to cast my ears upon the fierce storytelling of Gavin Bishop at his author talk and exhibition, kindly hosted by Scorpio Books.
The gallery guests
The first half of the evening was milling around, drinks and nibbles, networking and fondly discussing family memories of Gavin Bishop’s works.
Behind me I can hear parents and grandparents reminiscing on the story of Teddy-One-Eye and their own family’s likeness of the beloved tale, that they too have clung to for years exceeding a regular teddy's lifespan, their moko wearing out the final remains of what was once a pair of fuzzy ears.
Guests ogle the gallery offerings one by one – each a striking original artwork of mixed mediums, thoughtfully canvasing the frames. The Taniwha watch from the front of the room while people seat themselves or split off to catch up with ex-colleagues and old friends. Children sit in the short sea of seats peeling crusts from their dipped breads.
Harakeke and hydrangeas adorn the podium where we eagerly await what Gavin Bishop has to say about his latest release. Out the corner of my eye I can see the splashes of colour that form a large brown Taniwha who resembles a fat Tuna with legs, reminding me of visiting the creek with my nanny as a child. Gavin’s use of paint, clearly thoughtful and planned, shows it to be undeniable that he has an incredible natural sense for where things should be on the page, and what compositions and juxtapositions will look most striking. Every stroke with intention, and every etching exactly where it ought to be.
The author talks
Claudia Jardine from Scorpio Books introduces Gavin and welcomes us to the lovely contemporary gallery and extends thanks to publisher Penguin Random House. We hear about the Storylines Gavin Bishop Award – Established in 2009 to offer support and important mentorship to future illustrators. The award aims to encourage the publication of new and exciting high-quality picture books from New Zealand illustrators. It also recognises the contribution celebrated children’s author and illustrator Gavin Bishop has made to the writing and illustrating of children’s picture books. The audience erupts in applause, hearing that he has been shortlisted for the NZ Booklovers 2026 best children’s picture book award! With hardly a pause between, the rally of hands begin their rhythmic dance again – Taniwha has won an award for best cover.
Gavin watches the crowd keenly, awaiting his turn to address the crowd. I watch him back, wondering what thoughts are whizzing through his brain. Could he be dreaming up his next publication? Addressing us now, Gavin expresses his confoundment at not having expected to be celebrating Taniwha a second time – after its initial launch this past November. “But” – He says, “Taniwha has taken on a life of its own”. He tells of being approached by his publisher for this book. When it was pitched that he creates a book about Taniwha, he batted back “Most of these stories are incredibly gruesome. They’re not really for children at all.”
Gavin’s job with this book was to make a story that was varied, interesting and represented all different parts of Aotearoa. Some stories that he knew of were cruel, some monstrous, some outright diabolical. Some were fiercer, and some more gentle. One tale in particular that was chosen for this book, Tukete’s Guardian, was picked because of its proximity to Stewart Island, near where Gavin grew up in Invercargill. Illustrating the shark for this story – the original source of the legend had recounted these glorious lashings of black and red spots adorning the shark’s body. Gavin found this piece particularly challenging creatively as an illustrator. What exactly did these red spots look like? He dreamed up his best interpretation of Tukete’s Guardian and put it to page.
I had thought to myself before the event – I wonder if his method of information gathering was to visit all these iwi and marae dotted around the country to ask of their retellings and local legends. Surely there aren’t enough written accounts out in the world? No sooner do I recall this train of thought, he answers my question as if through sharing in some Taniwha magic and reading my mind. Gavin tells us all this extensive travel with the already often-stretched timeline for book publishing was simply out of the question. He read a number of sources and storied accounts from as far back as when our precious traditions and orations were first put to page. It wasn’t until roughly the 19th century that Māori retellings and recitations were being documented and travelled through eyes instead of only ears, through wind and whispers.
The magic behind illustrations
We were allowed a small peek into Gavin’s creative flow while listening to him talk about the individual Taniwha hanging on the wall behind him, reminding me of the large pou that command the back of a Wharenui. The ‘black and white one’ of hotupuku- He’s a relentless killer. This illustration was a scratchboard artwork that was scratched out of specially prepared cardboard which has black on top and white underneath. Gavin cut out this scratchboard artwork and collaged it on top of his main painting for this story.
When it comes to Mr Bishop’s preferred artist mediums he says he tends to jump around. He dabbles in a mix of mono print, salt for texture, paints, a candle scribbled throughout the piece for a particular effect, and of course ink pens. Nearer the end of the talk, we also hear about a mysterious French paint akin to acrylic, which is water-based. Gavin has taken quite a shine to this particular paint and has created a lot of the backgrounds in Taniwha using it – with much credit to how it dries completely flat, the black almost seeming like a void.
How long is a piece of string?
Creating a book, he tells, is generally 6 months or more of work. Up to a year for some, and more for others. Taniwha took a couple of years, Patu took 3, his board books like Mihi and Koro are more in the realm of 4 months.
When a book is wrapped up – It is sent to the printers in China. To throw a spanner in the works and add to this lengthy process, the printers once contacted designer Luke Kelly to inform him that they would not continue with their printing run unless an illustrated map of Taiwan was removed from the book.
Wrapping up a beautiful evening, an attendee asks Gavin if he feels the wairua of Taniwha around him when he is out for a walk, or in nature, and if that unsettles him. He responds with a wry grin. “I have nightmares about technical and creative processes. Much more frightening than the actual monsters. So no, not really.”
What’s in the works?
Gavin Bishop lets us in on a secret. He is already putting the finishing touches on his next book, which will be titled “Armchair Bear” and is expected around October this year. He explains that Armchair Bear is written for the American market and will thusly be without his usual kiwi-isms that we’ve all come to be familiar with among much of his other catalogue. He is currently finishing the final illustration for Armchair Bear. Will he be hosting a similar celebration for that release? “Of course.”
Kamania Moar-O’Connor
Papanui Library
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