Contemporary Māori art book wins top prize at 2023 Book Design Awards

8:33 pm on 21 September 2023
Toi Tu Toi Ara - 2023 PANZ Book Design Awards

Toi Tu Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art edited by Nigel Borell and designed by Tyrone Ohia, has been named best designed book at the 2023 PANZ Book Design Awards. Photo: Supplied

A book celebrating contemporary Māori art has been named the best designed book in Aotearoa at the 2023 PANZ Book Design Awards in Auckland.

Toi Tu Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art, edited by Nigel Borell and designed by Tyrone Ohia, with layout by Katrina Duncan, features more than 200 artworks by 110 Māori artists from the 1950s until now. Judges praised the book for being "strong, clear, and contemporary, but in a way that eschews trends to produce a piece of work that will endure as a good piece of design across time".

Toi Tui Toi Ora also received awards for Best Illustrated Book and Best Typography, as well as winning the People's Choice Award. It was one of several books grounded in te ao Māori recognised by the awards, which were established by the Publishers Association of New Zealand Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ).

A Fire in the Belly of Hineāmaru: A Collection of Narratives about Te Tai Tokerau Tūpuna (2022) by Melinda Webber and Te Kapua O'Connor.

A Fire in the Belly of Hineāmaru: A Collection of Narratives about Te Tai Tokerau Tūpuna won Best Non-Illustrated Book. Photo: Cover art by Shane Cotton and cover design by Duncan Munro

The award for Best Non-Illustrated Book went to a pair of books in English and te reo; A Fire in the Belly of Hineāmaru: A Collection of Narratives about Te Tai Tokerau Tūpuna and Ka Ngangana Tonu a Hineāmaru: He Kōrero Tuku Iho nō Te Tai Tokerau by Melinda Webber and Te Kapua O'Connor, Nā Quinton Hita i whakamāori. The books were designed by Duncan Munro with cover art by Shane Cotton.

Te Wehenga: The separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku, written and designed by Mat Tait with Megan van Staden, was named Best Children's Book. It's the second major award for the book, which recently won Book of the Year at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Wawata - Moon Dreaming by Dr Hinemoa Elder, designed by Cat Taylor, was named Best Commercial Book for Adults.

The Best Cover award went to How to Loiter in a Turf War: A Novel by Coco Solid, who also did the cover illustration.

Cover shot of The RNZ Cookbook

Here's something we prepared earlier - The RNZ Cookbook: A treasury of 180 recipes from New Zealand's best-known chefs and food writers. Photo: RNZ / Massey University Press

The Best Cookbook award went to The RNZ Cookbook: A treasury of 180 recipes from New Zealand's best-known chefs and food writers, edited by David Cohen and Kathy Paterson, designed by Kate Barraclough with illustrations by Pippa Keel.

Judges said the book's design acknowledged that radio listeners have the smarts to complete the pictures themselves, while Keel's line work illustrations add "visual seasoning".

Book designer Brittany Irvine

Book designer Brittany Irvine was named the 2023 Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand Emerging Designer. Photo: David Hensel

Brittany Irvine was named the 2023 Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand Emerging Designer for Medium: A technical guide for creating better medium density housing in Aotearoa New Zealand by Guy Marriage. The book also won the award for Best Educational Book or Series - Secondary/Tertiary.

The award for Best Educational Book or Series - Primary was awarded to Year 4 Homework Start Right Workbook by Raymond Huber and Year 8 Social Studies Start Right Workbook by Caroline Mulholland, designed by Barnaby McBryde Pietro Lubich, Jane Meder and Robyn Hopcroft.

2023 PANZ Book Design Awards

Gerard Reid Award for Best Book sponsored by Nielsen BookData

Toi Tu Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art edited by Nigel Borrell (Penguin Random House NZ in association with Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki). Designed by Tyrone Ohia, Extended Whanau, layout by Katrina Duncan

Penguin Random House New Zealand Award for Best Illustrated Book

Toi Tu Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art edited by Nigel Borell (Penguin Random House NZ in association with Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki). Designed by Tyrone Ohia, Extended Whanau, layout by Katrina Duncan.

Upstart Press Award for Best Non-Illustrated Book

A Fire in the Belly of Hineāmaru: A Collection of Narratives about Te Tai Tokerau Tūpuna and Ka Ngangana Tonu a Hineāmaru: He Kōrero Tuku Iho nō Te Tai Tokerau by Melinda Webber and Te Kapua O'Connor. Nā Quinton Hita i whakamāori (Auckland University Press). Designed by Duncan Munro, cover art by Shane Cotton.

Scholastic New Zealand Award for Best Children's Book

Te Wehenga: The separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku, by Mat Tait (Allen & Unwin). Designed by Mat Tait with Megan van Staden.

Lift Education Award for Best Educational Book or Series - Primary

Year 4 Homework Start Right Workbook by Raymond Huber and Year 8 Social Studies Start Right Workbook by Caroline Mulholland (ESA Publications (NZ) Ltd trading as LearnWell). Designed by Barnaby McBryde, Pietro Lubich, LearnWell, Jane Meder, Jane Meder Illustration and Design & Robyn Hopcroft, Hop2it Art and Design.

Lift Education Award for Best Educational Book or Series - Secondary/Tertiary

Medium: A technical guide for creating better medium density housing in Aotearoa New Zealand by Guy Marriage (EBOSS). Designed by Brittany Irvine.

1010 Printing Award for Best Cookbook

The RNZ Cookbook: A treasury of 180 recipes from New Zealand's best-known chefs and food writers edited by David Cohen and Kathy Paterson (Massey University Press). Designed by Kate Barraclough, illustrations by Pippa Keel.

Allen & Unwin Award for Best Commercial Book for Adults

Wawata - Moon Dreaming by Dr Hinemoa Elder (Penguin Random House NZ). Designed by Cat Taylor.

HarperCollins Publishers Award for Best Cover

How to Loiter in a Turf War: A Novel by Coco Solid (Penguin Random House NZ). Designed by Carla Sy, cover illustration by Coco Solid

Te Herenga Waka University Press Award for Best Typography

Toi Tu Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art edited by Nigel Borell (Penguin Random House NZ in association with Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki). Designed by Tyrone Ohia, Extended Whanau, layout by Katrina Duncan.

2023 Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand Emerging Designer

Brittany Irvine for Medium: A technical guide for creating better medium density housing in Aotearoa New Zealand by Guy Marriage (EBOSS).

Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand People’s Choice Award (two winners)

Cape to Bluff by Simon Devitt, Andrea Stevens & Luke Scott (Simon Devitt Photographer Ltd). Designed by Luke Scott & Milly Scott.

Toi Tu Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art edited by Nigel Borrell (Penguin Random House NZ in association with Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki). Designed by Tyrone Ohia, Extended Whanau, layout by Katrina Duncan.