All about books in Aotearoa, all in one Kete.

Mō ngā pukapuka i Aotearoa, kua whaowhia ki te kete kotahi.

Kete gathers reviews and news about books, authors, events and awards in Aotearoa. Kete forages weekly selecting books for you.

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NZ Booklovers Awards 2025 Shortlist Announced

The NZ Booklovers Awards 2025 shortlist, announced today, features a mixture of debut authors and well-known writers. Books ...

Interview: the BOOKS OF MANA editors speak with Kete

Jacinta Ruru, Angela Walhalla and Jeanette Wikaira have spent six years working on the Te Takarangi project, a list of 150 Māori-authored non-fiction books stretching back to 1815. BOOKS OF MANA, a beautifully illustrated collection of essays, is a celebration of 200 years of Māori print literacy.

Critics’ thoughts on the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Award non-fiction and illustrated non-fiction list

Critics and reviewers reflect on the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction long lists. We've...

Review: The Comeback Code, by Jake Bailey

David Hill, not young, not fond of Self-Help books, reviews young Jake Bailey's latest book, THE COMEBACK CODE, and is taken ...

New Books

Ngā Pukapuka Hou

Check out the latest books from our amazing NZ authors...

The Comeback Code: The power of resilience when th...

by Jake Bailey

Muddle & Mo's Worm Surprise

by Nikki Slade Robinson

Threads of Connection

by Jane Shearer

That's What I Am: Oral Histories of Older Lesbians

by Lois Cox

Mana Moana: Ngā Urungi o Te Ohu Kaimoana Toitū mō ...

by Carla Houkamau

New Zealand Weather

by Alistair Hughes

Billy Stead

by Lynn McConnell

Star Gazers

by Duncan Sarkies

Black Sugarcane

by Nafanua Purcell Kersel

Granny McFlitter Stitches Up a Storm

by Heather Haylock

I Love My Island

by Moemoana Safa'ato'a Schwenke

Mrs D is Not on a Diet

by Lotta Dann

This week's Aotearoa NZ Bestsellers

Ngā Pukapuka Pai Rawa Atu i Aotearoa i tēnei wiki

View this week's bestselling Aotearoa NZ adult fiction, adult non-fiction and children's books...

View this week's list

Kete's Calendar of Events

Te Maramataka Taiopenga o Kete

An essential calendar of events for all things bookish in Aotearoa New Zealand...

View this month's events...

Reviews Ngā Arotakenga

Read our independent reviews of the latest books from Aotearoa.

Review: The Defiance of Frances Dickinson, by Wendy Parkins

In 1845, Frances Dickinson filed for separation in the English courts. It was to become one of the most reported on divorce c...

Review: Bound, by Maddie Ballard

Maddie Ballard's debut book is a gentle sewing-focussed memoir. Claire Williamson writes about the contemplation of making an...

Review: The Eldest Girl by Olivia Aroha Giles

'Giles skillfully employs a dual timeline structure, weaving past and present to illuminate the choices and regrets that shap...

Review: Toi Te Mana: An Indigenous History of Māori Art, by Deidre Brown and Ngarino Ellis, with Jonathan Mane-Wheoki

'Ngā kete e toru o te mātauranga, the three baskets of knowledge, are used to structure the book, and to loosely divide Māori...

Review: For When Words Fail Us, by Claire Beynon

'A man and a woman, complete strangers, meet at an exhibition in upstate New York on a cold snowy night. At the art gallery t...

Review: Te Hau Kāinga: The Māori Home Front during the Second World War

'One of the strengths of this book is the weaving of personal stories with official data and stories about food are particula...

Interviews and ExtractsNgā Uiui me ngā Tīpakohanga

Author Q&As and extracts from up coming NZ books.

Magic, collaborations, not growing up: Elena de Roo

Extract: The Paradise Generation, by Sanna Thompson

Growing Up: Michael Mansvelt on opulence on a budget

ListenWhakarongo Mai

Listen to author interviews, reviews, and book news. Plus, read reviews about audiobooks by authors from Aotearoa.

Jacinta Ruru RNZ Books of Mana interview

Jacinta Ruru: Books of Mana

Jacinta Ruru talks to RNZ about bringing together some of Aotearoa's most renowned Māori thinkers in a wide-ranging kōrero ab...

Nicola Legat RNZ Ockhams 25 longlist interview

Nicola Legat on the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards longlist

Chair of the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Nicola Legat joins Emile Donovan of RNZ to celebrate the 2025 Ockham New Zealand B...

Audiobook review: Make it Make Sense

Nat Baker reviews the audiobook of Make it Make Sense, a conversational book written and narrated by Lucy Blakiston and Bel H...

Children and Young AdultsNgā Pukapuka Tamariki

The latest picks for children's picture books, junior fiction and young adults.

All about books in Aotearoa, all in one Kete.

Mō ngā pukapuka i Aotearoa, kua whaowhia ki te kete kotahi.

NZ Booklovers Awards 2025 Shortlist Announced

Interview: the BOOKS OF MANA editors speak with Kete

Critics’ thoughts on the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Award non-fiction and illustrated non-fiction list

Review: The Comeback Code, by Jake Bailey

New Books

The Comeback Code: The power of resilience when th...

Muddle & Mo's Worm Surprise

Threads of Connection

That's What I Am: Oral Histories of Older Lesbians

Mana Moana: Ngā Urungi o Te Ohu Kaimoana Toitū mō ...

New Zealand Weather

Billy Stead

Star Gazers

Black Sugarcane

Granny McFlitter Stitches Up a Storm

I Love My Island

Mrs D is Not on a Diet

This week's Aotearoa NZ Bestsellers

Kete's Calendar of Events

Reviews Ngā Arotakenga

Review: The Defiance of Frances Dickinson, by Wendy Parkins

Review: Bound, by Maddie Ballard

Review: The Eldest Girl by Olivia Aroha Giles

Review: Toi Te Mana: An Indigenous History of Māori Art, by Deidre Brown and Ngarino Ellis, with Jonathan Mane-Wheoki

Review: For When Words Fail Us, by Claire Beynon

Review: Te Hau Kāinga: The Māori Home Front during the Second World War

Interviews and ExtractsNgā Uiui me ngā Tīpakohanga

Magic, collaborations, not growing up: Elena de Roo

Extract: The Paradise Generation, by Sanna Thompson

Growing Up: Michael Mansvelt on opulence on a budget

ListenWhakarongo Mai

Jacinta Ruru: Books of Mana

Nicola Legat on the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards longlist

Audiobook review: Make it Make Sense

Children and Young AdultsNgā Pukapuka Tamariki

The Aotearoa Junior Fiction and Young Adult Bestseller List — Jan 2025

Magic, collaborations, not growing up: Elena de Roo

Review: Charlie Tangaroa and the God of War