The Greatest New Zealand Books of All Time

Click to learn how this list is calculated.

This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 488 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

Filter by: Genres Dates Countries

Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
2906 The Garden Party And Other Stories Katherine Mansfield 1922 New Zealand English
3305 Slave To Sensation Nalini Singh 2006 New Zealand English
4063 Owls Do Cry Janet Frame 1957 New Zealand English
7623 The Whale Rider Witi Ihimaera 1987 New Zealand English
7660 The Changeover Margaret Mahy 1984 New Zealand English
7700 Playing God Glenn Colquhoun 2002 New Zealand English
7859 The Tricksters Margaret Mahy 1986 New Zealand English
7863 Tahuri Ngahuia Te Awekotuku 1989 New Zealand English
7964 The Rocky Shore Jenny Bornholdt 2009 New Zealand English
8175 The Best Of Albert Wendt’s Short Stories Albert Wendt 1999 New Zealand English
8345 Gideon The Ninth Tamsyn Muir 2019 New Zealand English
8393 Dogside Story Patricia Grace 2001 New Zealand English
8504 Gifted Patrick Evans 2010 New Zealand English
8905 The Collected Stories Of Katherine Mansfield Katherine Mansfield 1908 New Zealand English
9071 Delirious Damien Wilkins 2012 New Zealand English
9182 Bugs Whiti Hereaka 2013 New Zealand English
9220 Zoology Sheridan Keith​ 1995 New Zealand Unknown
9864 The Imaginary Lives Of James Poneke Tina Makereti 2018 New Zealand English
10711 Common Sense, Science, And Scepticism Alan Musgrave 1993 New Zealand English
11118 Poukahangatus Tayi Tibble 2022 New Zealand English
12068 Humanity's End Nicholas Agar 2010 New Zealand English
12608 The Chimes Anna Smaill 2015 New Zealand English
13139 The Good Girl Vincent O'Sullivan 1933 New Zealand Unknown
14371 Memoirs Of A Peon Frank Sargeson 1965 New Zealand Unknown
14371 Harrow The Ninth Tamsyn Muir 2020 New Zealand English