Maria Gill

Profile

Maria Gill is the author of 62 nonfiction books for children and the educational market. Her nonfiction book Anzac Heroes, illustrated by Marco Ivancic, won the 2016 NZCYA children’s non-fiction award, the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year prize, and was a Storylines Notable (Non-fiction) book. New Zealand Hall of Fame, illustrated by Bruce Potter, won the Children’s Choice (non-fiction category) at the 2012 NZCYA book awards. In total, fifteen of her books have been nominated for national book awards and eleven chosen as Storylines Notable Books. In 2020, Storylines awarded Maria the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal for outstanding services to children’s literature. Maria’s most recent books include Queen of the Cosmos: Beatrice Hill Tinsley (Upstart Press, 2024), and New Zealand’s Endangered Dolphins (Upstart Press, 2024).

Maria has a Masters in Creative Writing (AUT, Honours), a Graduate Diploma in Journalism Studies, a Bachelor of Education, and a Teaching Diploma. She has taught in Intermediate and Primary Schools in the Auckland region, before having two children and moving north of Auckland. Her children have now grown up and left home (a proud mum of a paramedic daughter, and a Navy marine engineer son).

Maria writes fulltime from a seaside village north of Auckland. When not writing, she gives talks and workshops for ReadNZ and Speakers Ink around New Zealand and Australia. She is a workshop facilitator for Write Like an Author teaching the three-day camps around the country. She has also been a Duffy Books Role model for seven years. For eleven years she coordinated the nationwide children’s writers’ group called Kiwi Write4Kidz. From 2021, she has been the Auckland Branch Chair of New Zealand Society of Authors, and a coordinator for the Point Wells Village Literary Festival. Maria coordinates and reviews children’s books for the https://kidsbooksnz.blogspot.com/ site.

Selected bibliography:

Queen of the Cosmos: Beatrice Hill Tinsley (Upstart Press, 2024)
New Zealand’s Endangered Dolphins (Upstart Press, 2024)
New Zealand’s Most Endangered Dolphins illustrated by Marco Ivancic (White Cloud Books, May 2024)
Beatrice Hill Tinsley: Queen of the Cosmos illustrated by Alistair Hughes (Upstart Press, Feb 2024)
Epic New Zealand Adventurers illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Upstart Press, July 2023)
Ernest Rutherford: Just an ordinary boy illustrated by Alistair Hughes (Upstart Press, 2023)
The King’s Medal illustrated by Alistair Hughes (Upstart Press, October 2021)
Remarkable Animal Stories illustrated by Emma Huia Lovegrove (Scholastic, August 2021)
New Zealand Disasters: Our response, resilience and recovery illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Scholastic, Feb 2021)
Ice Breaker: An Epic Antarctic Adventure illustrated by Alistair Hughes (New Holland, 2020)
On the Brink (New Holland, 2019)
Kate Sheppard: Leading the Way for Women (Scholastic, 2018)
Earthquakes! Shaking New Zealand (New Holland, 2018)
Anzac Animals illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Scholastic, 2018)
Abel Tasman: Mapping the Southern Lands illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Scholastic, 2017)
Toroa’s Journey illustrated by Gavin Mouldey (Potton & Burton, 2017)
Find Out! Volcanoes (Dorling Kindersley, 2016)
Anzac Heroes illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Scholastic, 2016)
New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame: 25 Kiwi Champions, illustrated by Marco Ivancic (New Holland, 2014)
The Last of Maui’s Dolphins picture book, illustrated by Bruce Potter (New Holland, 2014)
Running Our Country: A look inside New Zealand’s Government (New Holland, 2013)
Eruption! Discovering New Zealand Volcanoes (New Holland, 2012)
The Call of the Kokako illustrated by Heather Arnold (New Holland, 2011)
New Zealand’s Hall of Fame: 50 Remarkable Kiwis illustrated by Bruce Potter (New Holland, 2011)
Rangitoto illustrated by Heather Arnold (Penguin Books, 2009)
Save Our Seas illustrated by Vivienne Lingard (New Holland, 2009)
Eco-rangers: Save our Planet (New Holland, 2009)
Dogs on the Job (Reed, 2008)
Operation Nest Egg (Reed, 2007)
Bird’s-eye View (Penguin Books, 2006)
Homework Powerpack (Zenith Publishing, 2005)

Digital Books

The Last of Maui’s Dolphins (2023
Operation Nest Egg Chick (Pixel Books, 2013)
The Rock Standing in the Ocean (Pixel Books, 2013)

Audio Book

On the Brink (New Holland, 2019)

Awards:

Shortlisted and Runner Up for NZ Heritage Literary Awards 2021 for New Zealand Disasters
Storylines Notable Highly Commended Book Award 2021, Non-fiction list for New Zealand Disasters
Shortlisted (non-fiction) NZ Children’s and Young Adults Book Awards 2021 for New Zealand Disasters
Awarded Arts Centre Residency in Christchurch from August – October 2021
Shortlisted NZSA Heritage Book Awards 2020 for Ice Breaker! An Epic Antarctic Adventure
Winner Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award 2020 for services to children’s literature & literacy
Shortlisted for PANZ Awards 2019 for Anzac Animals
Storylines Notable Book Award 2019, Non-fiction List for Anzac Animals
Storylines Notable Book Award 2018, Non-fiction List for Abel Tasman
Storylines Notable Book Award 2018, Non-fiction List for Toroa’s Journey
Shortlisted (illustration) NZ Children’s and Young Adults Book Awards 2018 for Abel Tasman
Winner NZ Book Awards Elsie Locke Award (Non-fiction) 2016 for Anzac Heroes
Winner NZ Book Awards Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award 2016 for Anzac Heroes
Shortlisted for the NZ Children’s Choice Award 2016 for Anzac Heroes
Storylines Notable Book Award 2017, Non-fiction List for Anzac Heroes
Shortlisted LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2015, Elsie Locke Award for New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
Storylines Notable Book Award 2015, Non-fiction List for New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
Storylines Notable Book Award 2014, Non-fiction List for Running the Country
Shortlisted LIANZA Elsie Locke Children’s Book Award 2013, Non-fiction for Eruption! Discovering New Zealand’s Volcanoes
Storylines Notable Book Award 2013, Non-fiction List for Eruption! Discovering New Zealand’s Volcanoes
Shortlisted LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2012, Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction for The Call of the Kokako
Shortlisted LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2012, Russell Clark Award for Illustration for The Call of the Kokako
Shortlisted LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2012, Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction for New Zealand Hall of Fame
Storylines Notable Book Award 2012, Non-fiction List for The Call of the Kokako
Storylines Notable Book Award 2012, Non-fiction List for New Zealand Hall of Fame
Winner of Children’s Choice, non-fiction category, New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2012 for New Zealand Hall of Fame
Storylines Notable Book Award 2012, Non-fiction List for Save Our Seas
Shortlisted New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2012, Non-Fiction for Rangitoto
Second in a national writing competition Rodney Writes in the Premier category
Storylines Notable Book Award 2007, Non-fiction List for Bird’s-eye View
Shortlisted LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2007, Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction for Bird’s-eye View