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Gavin Bishop

A graduate of Canterbury’s School of Fine Arts, Gavin Bishop is a writer/illustrator who has Waikato/Ngāti Pukeko affiliations and these show to advantage in his work, especially Kātarina, a story of his great-aunt’s life. Married with three daughters, he was a high school art teacher for many years, but now works full time as a writer and illustrator.

In 1985 Gavin was commissioned to write and design a ballet for the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company – ‘Terrible Tom’ toured the country for 18 months, followed by ‘Te Maia and the Sea Devil’ in 1987. In 2003 Gavin’s short story ‘Giant Jimmy Jones’ was launched as the world’s first 3D animated children’s picture book.

Gavin won the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal in 2000 and in 2002 Gavin’s plaque became part of Christchurch’s Writers’ Walkway. In 2009 Storylines launched the Storylines Gavin Bishop Award for Picture Book Illustration, in honour of one of New Zealand’s celebrated children’s illustrators.

He is currently a board member of Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (NZ Book Council) and was on the board of Painted Stories, an organisation that exhibited New Zealand children’s book Illustration and was funded by the royalties from Quaky Cat (Scholastic NZ 2010) until  it went into recess in 2021. He became a member of the Southland Museum Governance Board in 2021.

Gavin Bishop 2024

Selected bibliography:

  • Mrs McGinty and the Bizarre Plant (Oxford University Press 1981)
  • Year of the Yelvertons, text by Katherine O’Brien (Oxford University Press 1981)
  • Bidibidi (Oxford University Press 1982)
  • Mr Fox (Oxford University Press 1982)
  • Chicken Licken (Oxford University Press 1984)
  • Horror of Hickory Bay (Oxford University Press 1984)
  • Mother Hubbard (Oxford University Press 1986)
  • A, Apple Pie (Oxford University Press 1987)
  • Katarina (Black Cat Books 1990)
  • Three Little Pigs (Ashton Scholastic 1990)
  • Little Red Rocking Hood: A Rock Opera, text by Jeffrey Leask (Ashton Scholastic 1992)
  • Hinepau (Ashton Scholastic 1993)
  • The Wedding of Mistress Fox, retold by Philip H. Bailey (North-South Books 1994)
  • Maui and the Sun: A Maori Tale (North-South Books 1996)
  • Little Rabbit and the Sea (North South Books 1997)
  • Maui and the Goddess of Fire: A Maori Tale (Scholastic 1997)
  • The House That Jack Built: Being the Account of Jack Bull, Esq. Who Sailed from These Shores to a Land Far Away to Live There and Trade with the Natives of That Said Land 12th Day of September, 1798 (Scholastic 1999)
  • The Video Shop Sparrow, text by Joy Cowley (Mallinson Rendel 1999)
  • Stay Awake, Bear! (Orchard Books 2000)
  • Pip the Penguin, text by Joy Cowley (Scholastic 2001)
  • Tom Thumb: The True History of Sir Thomas Thumb (Random House 2001)
  • Weaving Earth and Sky: Myths & Legends of Aotearoa, text by Robert Sullivan (Random House 2002)
  • Three Billy-goats Gruff (Scholastic 2003)
  • Little Tractor text by Joy Cowley (Scholastic 2004)
  • Taming the Sun: Four Maori Myths (Random House 2004)
  • Kiwi Moon (Random House 2005)
  • The Waka, text by Jean Prior (Scholastic 2005)
  • Riding the Waves: Four Maori Myths (Random House 2006)
  • Snake and Lizard, text by Joy Cowley (Gecko Press 2007)
  • Rats! (Random House 2007)
  • There Was an Old Woman (Gecko Press 2008)
  • Piano Rock: A 1950s Childhood (Random House 2008)
  • Counting the Stars: Four Maori Myths (Random House 2009)
  • There Was a Crooked Man (Gecko Press 2009)
  • Friends: Snake and Lizard, text by Joy Cowley (Gecko Press 2009)
  • Cowshed Christmas, text by Joy Cowley (Random House 2009)
  • Cowshed Springtime (Random House 2010)
  • Quaky Cat, text by Diana Noonan (Scholastic 2010)
  • Just One More: Stories, text by Joy Cowley (Gecko Press 2011)
  • Bruiser (Random House 2011)
  • Mister Whistler, text by Margaret Mahy (Gecko Press 2012)
  • Footsteps through the Fog, text by Margaret Mahy (Penguin 2012)
  • Bruiser and the Big Snow (Random House 2013)
  • Tedddy One-Eye (Random House 2014)
  • Quaky Cat Helps Out text by Diana Noonan, illustrations by Gavin Bishop (Scholastic 2015)
  •  The Road to Ratenburg, text by Joy Cowley, illustrations by Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press 2016)
  • Helper and Helper text by Joy Cowley, illustrations by Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press 2016)
  • Aotearoa,The Story of New Zealand (Penguin Random House 2017)
  • Cook’s cook, The Cook who Cooked for Captain Cook (Gecko Press 2018)
  • Wildlife of Aotearoa (Penguin Random House 2019)
  • Mihi (Gecko Press 2020)
  • Amazing Aotearoa Activity Book (Penguin Random House 2020)
  • Koro/ Pops (Gecko Press 2021)
  • Atua (Penguin Random House 2021)
  • Patu: The New Zealand Wars (Penguin Random House 2023)

Awards:

  • Noma Concours for Children’s Picture Book Illustration 1982 Runner-up
  • Russell Clark Award 1982 Winner for Mrs McGinty and the Bizarre Plant
  • New Zealand Government Publishing Awards New Zealand Picture Book of the Year Award 1983 for Mr Fox
  • Noma Concours for Children’s Picture Book Illustration Grand Prix 1984
  • Russell Clark Award 1988 Shortlist for A, Apple Pie
  • Russell Clark Award 1991 Shortlist for Katarina
  • Arts Council Grant, International Cultural Exchange Scheme to the USA 1993
  • AIM Children’s Book Awards 1994 Picture Book Winner for Hinepau
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 1997 Picture Book Shortlist for Maui and the Sun
  • Creative New Zealand Project Grant 1998
  • Russell Clark Award 1998 Shortlist for Little Rabbit and the Sea
  • Spectrum Print Award for the Best Use of Illustration in a New Zealand Book 2000
  • White Ravens List 2000 for The Video Shop Sparrow
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2000 Picture Book Shortlist for The Video Shop Sparrow
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2000 Picture Book Winner for The House that Jack Built
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2000 Book of the Year Winner for The House that Jack Built
  • Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal 2000
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2000 Picture Books List for The House That Jack Built
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2000 Picture Books List for The Video Shop Sparrow
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2001 Picture Book Shortlist for Stay Awake, Bear!
  • Russell Clark Award 2001 Shortlist for Stay Awake, Bear!
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2001 Picture Books List for Stay Awake, Bear!
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2002 Picture Book Shortlist for Tom Thumb
  • Smash Palace Art and Science Collaboration Grant with the HIT Lab, Canterbury University 2002
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2002 Picture Books List for Tom Thumb
  • Noma Concours jury member 2002
  • Ursula Bethell Residency in Creative Writing, Canterbury University 2003
  • Waikato University Writer in Residence 2003
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2003 Book of the Year Winner for Weaving Earth and Sky
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2003 Non-fiction Winner for Weaving Earth and Sky
  • Elsie Locke Award 2003 Shortlist for Weaving Earth and Sky
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2003 Non-fiction List for Weaving Earth and Sky
  • Creative New Zealand Project Grant 2004
  • Sylvia Ashton Warner Fellow, University of Auckland 2004
  • Russell Clark Award 2004 Shortlist for The Three Billy-goats Gruff
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2004 Picture Books List for The Three Billy-goats Gruff
  • Represented New Zealand at the World Summit Award 2005 with ‘Giant Jimmy Jones’
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2005 Picture Book Shortlist for Taming the Sun
  • Russell Clark Award 2005 Shortlist for Taming the Sun
  • White Ravens List 2005 for Taming the Sun
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2005 Picture Books List for Taming the Sun
  • Russell Clark Award 2006 Winner for Kiwi Moon
  • Russell Clark Award 2006 Shortlist for The Waka
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2006 Picture Book Shortlist for The Waka
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2006 Picture Books List for Kiwi Moon
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2006 Picture Books List for The Waka
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2007 Picture Book Shortlist for Riding the Waves
  • Russell Clark Award 2007 Shortlist for Riding the Waves
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2007 Picture Books List for Riding the Waves
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2008 Picture Book Shortlist for Rats!
  • Russell Clark Award 2008 Winner for Rats!
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2008 Junior Fiction Winner for Snake and Lizard
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2008 Book of the Year Winner for Snake and Lizard
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2008 Picture Books List for Rats!
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2008 Junior Fiction List for Snake and Lizard
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2009 Non-fiction Shortlist for Piano Rock
  • Elsie Locke Award 2009 Shortlist for Piano Rock
  • PANZ Book Design Awards 2009 Children’s Book Winner for Piano Rock
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2009 Non-fiction List for Piano Rock
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2010 Picture book Finalist for Cowshed Christmas
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2010 Junior Fiction Finalist for Friends: Snake and Lizard
  • New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2010 Children’s Choice Junior Fiction Winner for Friends: Snake and Lizard
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2010 Picture Books List for There was a Crooked Man
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2010 Picture Books List for Cowshed Christmas
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2010 Junior Fiction List for Friends: Snake and Lizard
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2010 Non-fiction List for Counting the Stars
  • LIANZA Esther Glen Award 2010 Finalist for Friends: Snake and Lizard
  • LIANZA Russell Clark Award 2010 Winner for There was a Crooked Man
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2011 Picture Books List for Quaky Cat
  • LIANZA Russell Clark Award 2011 Finalist for Quaky Cat
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2012 Picture Books List for Bruiser
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2012 Junior Fiction List – special mention for Just One More
  • New Zealand Order of Merit 2012
  • LIANZA Russell Clark Award 2012 Shortlist for Bruiser
  • Represented NZ at TIBE (Taipei International Book Expo), Taipei, Taiwan, 2011 and 2015
  • Writer in Residence, Top of the South, Society of   Authors, Nelson 2012
  • Arts Foundation Mallinson Rendal  Illustrators’  Laureate, October 2013
  • President of Honour, NZ Society of Authors  2013 – 2014
  • ONZM for services to literature 2013
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2013 Picture Books List for Mister Whistler
  • Honorary Doctorate of Education, University of Canterbury 2016
  • Ta Kingi Ihaka Award for Services to Maori Art and Culture 2018
  • The New Zealand Prime Minister’s Award for Services in Literature – Non-fiction 2019
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2019 Non-Fiction List for Cook’s Cook: The Cook who Cooked for Captain Cook
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2020 Non-Fiction List for Wildlife of Aotearoa
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2022 Non-Fiction List for Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes
  • Storylines Notable Book Awards 2023 Picture Books List for Patu: The New Zealand Wars

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Storylines Trust Te Whare Waituhi Tamariki and Friends of Storylines Te Pou o Te Whare Waituhi Tamariki together form New Zealand’s only national organisation working year-round to promote New Zealand children’s and young adult literature through activities that include a major national Story Tour to schools, early childhood centres and communities, and awards for writers, illustrators and those who work in the area of New Zealand children’s literature

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