Talk:New Zealand literature

Tasks to do
I've tried to make a start getting this article into better shape. These are some of the outstanding tasks as I see them (very grateful to anyone else who wants to pick up some of these, or make other improvements):
 * Improve coverage of Māori/Pasifika literature, and not just in the relevant section (should be integrated into the whole of the article).
 * This reference https://landfallreview.com/twinned-roots/ contains information about Chinese heritage writing in New Zealand that could be included in various parts of the article. I have added some in two sections. Pakoire (talk) 07:13, 12 October 2021 (UTC)


 * Improve fiction coverage. I started with the 1950s/1960s, then added in our two Booker Prize winners. There's plenty more to be covered, and I'm not sure how best to do it without the section either becoming just a massive list of notable authors or becoming way too long and unwieldy.
 * Improve poetry coverage. Again, I started with the 1950s/1960s, added in a bit from the 1970s/1980s, current Poet Laureates then ran out of steam.
 * Add non-fiction section? It springs to mind that this would include Janet Frame's autobiographies, Michael King's Penguin History of New Zealand but I'm not sure what else.
 * Add periodicals section? At the moment Landfall and Te Ao Hou / The New World are mentioned briefly at the top of the modern literature section, but there could be a section covering also Phoenix, Tomorrow, The New Zealand Listener, etc.
 * Add section on literary awards? This only needs to be a paragraph, but I think the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship and Robert Burns Fellowship need highlighting.
 * Add more images to the article (iconic book covers, notable writers, etc).

Obviously length is going to be a potential issue, but I think the article can still fit more coverage at the moment, as it's about 33kb (mindful of WP:LENGTH). Will keep working on this off and on but grateful for anyone else who can chip in and improve. Chocmilk03 (talk) 11:31, 19 February 2021 (UTC)


 * Oh, also, the article lead needs to be expanded. Chocmilk03 (talk) 13:01, 19 February 2021 (UTC)


 * Hiya Pakoire, just pinging you as I see you've improved the article in the past. If you had any capacity to help with any of the above (or indeed anything else) that would be wonderful. No pressure though! Cheers, Chocmilk03 (talk) 14:28, 24 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the ping Chocmilk03. Good work on your work to date. With improvement to Māori coverage I suggest looking for sources that give agency to Māori and when I have time I will look for some too. Since the article includes oral literature the richness of Māori literature can be framed by this as well as Māori writing in English and Māori language (which is how the article is currently framed). It is also good to note that Māori had strong agency in creating a Te Reo written form rather than it being 'done for them' by the missionaries. I will look for a source for this - that the bible in Te Reo being so widely published and distributed is significant as Māori wanted to learn about the culture of the new people in Aotearoa. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pakoire (talk • contribs) 20:23, 15 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks very much! That's a really helpful steer and I can definitely work on those points too. (I noticed that before your recent edits the article had included a comment "As far as Māori literature can be said to exist".........!!! At least it is better than it was!) Chocmilk03 (talk) 16:29, 16 March 2021 (UTC)

This article looks in good shape. I suggest it gets nominated for GA review.  Schwede 66  19:08, 26 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Thank you! That's a great suggestion; I have duly nominated it. Cheers, Chocmilk03 (talk) 23:31, 26 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Great work on the article! I would like to add a section about literary festivals in New Zealand. Including Going West, Auckland Writers Festival, Verb and the Wellington Writers Festival, Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival etc. but am unsure while it is going through review. Is it too annoying for the reviewers to have new bits? Pakoire (talk) 09:32, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Hi, ! As the reviewer, I would say hold off a bit on adding those sections as the review is almost done. I think that will make logistics a bit easier, especially since I am going to be off-Wiki shortly for a conference I am attending, so responding to new content might drag the review on a bit too much. -  Pax  Verbum  17:34, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks, and thanks for the excellent suggestion. I think a section on literary festivals will be a really great addition. Happy to work with you on that when the GA review bit is over! Cheers, Chocmilk03 (talk) 20:15, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Copy that  Verbum  & Chocmilk03. I will work on creating said articles (that surprisingly are missing). If I do drafts I will link in my user page  that you could add to. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pakoire (talk • contribs) 11:29, 30 September 2021 (UTC)
 * :) we're good to go now, happy to look at drafts at any point! Cheers, Chocmilk03 (talk) 21:21, 1 October 2021 (UTC)