The NZHA is pleased to announce the winner of the W. H. Oliver Prize to Tony Ballanytne, Otago University, for Entanglements of Empire: Missionaries, Maori, and the Question of the Body published by Auckland University Press. Congratulations Tony!
The W. H. Oliver Prize was awarded for the best book on any aspect of New Zealand history published between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2015. The prize comes with a $500 award.
Professor Ballantyne says he is delighted to have won the inaugural W.H. Oliver Award for the best book published on New Zealand History, but he is especially happy for the spotlight this award shines on Otago’s Department of History and Art History, and also the Hocken Library (archive) Collections. “I did not expect it, given the particularly strong field, including two of my colleagues in history at Otago. This prize is an affirmation of the great strength of historical research and teaching on our campus and our deep commitment here at Otago to understanding the forces that have shaped New Zealand society,” “On a personal level, it is wonderful for me to receive this award from my professional organisation, the New Zealand Historical Association, and it is also an honour for my book Entanglements of Empire to be linked to the name Bill Oliver, an outstanding historian who wrote with great insight and elegance on our past. “This award for Entanglements also reflects the tremendous riches of the Hocken Library Collections, as most of the research for this book was conducted using the Hocken’s vast and significant manuscript collection.”
The judges, Graeme Dunstall and Giselle Byrnes, were impressed with number and caliber of the entries; all distinct, and excellent in the quality of their research, analysis and writing, and certainly making a significant contribution to historical knowledge.
The NZHA also wish to express their thanks to the publishers for supporting and recognising the importance of this award.
The shortlisted authors were: Tom Brooking, Richard Seddon, King of God’s Own: The Life and Times of New Zealand’s Longest Serving Prime Minister (Penguin); Angela Wanhalla, Matters of the Heart: A History of Interracial Marriage in New Zealand (Auckland University Press), and Melissa Matutina Williams, Panguru and the City: Kainga tahi, Kainga rua – An Urban Migration History (Bridget Williams Books).
Well done!
The New Zealand Historical Association 