Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned.
Originally called the Wattie Book Awards and later renamed the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards when the Wattie's company merged with Goodman Fielder.
Montana took over sponsorship in 1994 and the awards became the Montana Book Awards (1994-1995) before combining with the New Zealand Book Awards to become the Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 1996.
- More information about the history of the New Zealand Book Awards.
- See more literary prize winners.
- Winners in the 1980s
- Winners in the 1970s
- Winners in the 1960s
1993
- 1st Going west Maurice Gee
- 2nd Te Ao Marama - Contemporary Māori writing, Volume 1 edited by Witi Ihimaera
- 3rd The Autobiography of my father Martin Edmond
1992
- 1st Portrait of the artist’s wife Barbara Anderson
- 2nd Vladimir Nabokov: The American years Brian Boyd
- 3rd Two worlds: first meetings between Māori and Europeans, 1642-1772 Anne Salmond
1991
- 1st The Dictionary of New Zealand biography, volume one and Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau; 1769-1869 edited by W. H. Oliver
- 2nd Once were warriors Alan Duff
- 3rd Vladimir Nabokov: The Russian years Brian Boyd
1990
- 1st Moriori: a people rediscovered Michael King
- 2nd Hanly : a New Zealand artist Russell Haley
- 3rd The Forest carpet Bill and Nancy Malcolm
1989
- 1st Sylvia! Lynley Hood
- 2nd Wines and vineyards of New Zealand Michael Cooper
- 3rd The Unfortunate experiment Sandra Coney
1988
- 1st The Treaty of Waitangi Claudia Orange
- 2nd Oracles and miracles Stevan Eldred-Grigg
- 3rd A Man’s country? Jock Phillips
1987
- 1st Season of the Jew Maurice Shadbolt
- 2nd Head and shoulders Virginia Myers
- 3rd Nga Morehu: The Survivors Judith Binney and Gillian Chaplin
1986
- 1st The Matriarch Witi Ihimaera
- 2nd From the cradle to the grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage Barry Gustafson
- 3rd equal Potiki Patricia Grace
- 3rd equal Te Kaihau/The Windeater Keri Hulme
1985
- 1st Envoy from Mirror City Janet Frame
- 2nd Bread and roses Sonja Davies
- 3rd The Natural world of the Māori Margaret Orbell
1984
- 1st Māori: A photographic and social history Michael King
- 2nd The New Zealand house Michael Fowler
- 3rd An Angel at my table Janet Frame
1983
- 1st To the is-land Janet Frame
- 2nd Trees and shrubs of New Zealand - 2nd series Audrey Eagle
- 3rd Historic buildings of New Zealand: South Island Historic Places Trust
1982
- 1st equal Craft New Zealand: the art of the craftsman Doreen Blumhardt and Brian Brake
- 1st equal Other halves Sue McCauley
- 3rd The South Island of New Zealand from the road Robin Morrison
1981
- 1st equal Eruera: The teachings of a Māori elder Eruera Stirling and Anne Salmond
- 1st equal Te Rauparaha: a new perspective Patricia Burns
- 3rd The Lovelock Version Maurice Shadbolt
1980
- 1st Leaves of the banyan tree Albert Wendt
- 2nd New Zealand adrift: the theory of continental drift in a New Zealand setting Graeme Stevens
- 3rd Indirections: a memoir Charles Brasch
1979
- 1st Plumb Maurice Gee
- 2nd Heinemann New Zealand dictionary edited by Harry Orsman
- 3rd The Herb garden displayed Gilian Painter and Elaine Power
1978
- 1st Sovereign chief: A biography of Baron de Thierry J. D. Raeside
- 2nd John A. Lee Erik Olssen
- 3rd The Boy, the bridge, the river Vincent O’Sullivan
1977
- 1st Charles Brasch James Bertram
- 2nd P van der Velden Rodney Wilson
- 3rd Amiria: the life story of a Māori woman Amiria Stirling and Anne Salmond
1976
- 1st The Wind commands: sailors and sailing ships in the Pacific Harry Morton
- 2nd A Soldier’s tale M. K. Joseph
- 3rd Trees and shrubs of New Zealand Audrey Eagle
1975
- 1st Nothing venture, nothing win Sir Edmund Hillary
- 2nd Māori woman Noel Hilliard
- 3rd Larks in a paradise: New Zealand portraits Marty Friedlander and James McNeish
1974
- 1st Tangi Witi Ihimaera
- 2nd The Sugarbag years Tony Simpson
- 3rd Rugged landscape: The geology of central New Zealand Graeme Stevens
1973
- 1st Strangers and journeys Maurice Shadbolt
- 2nd Daughter Buffalo Janet Frame
- 3rd Pounamu, Pounamu Witi Ihimaera
1972
- 1st 200 years of New Zealand painting Gil Docking
- 2nd Te Rangi Hiroa: The life of Sir Peter Buck J. B. Condliffe
- 3rd Smith’s dream C. K. Stead
1971
- 1st William and Mary Rolleston Rosemary Rolleston
- 2nd Contemporary Māori writing edited by Margaret Orbell
- 3rd Gardening with New Zealand plants, shrubs and trees Muriel E. Fisher, E. Satchell and Janet M. Watkins
1970
- 1st Fateful voyage of the St Jean Baptiste John Dunmore
- 2nd Early charts of New Zealand P. B. Maling
- 3rd The World at their feet: the story of New Zealand mountaineers in the great ranges of the world Philip Temple
1969
- 1st Augustus Earle in New Zealand A. Murray-Oliver
- 2nd Shell guide to New Zealand Maurice Shadbolt
- 3rd The Māori people in the nineteen-sixties Erik Schwimmer
1968
- 1st The New Zealand sea shore John Morton and Michael Miller
- 2nd Field Guide to the alpine plants of New Zealand J. T. Salmon
- 3rd God in the New World Lloyd Geering