Books Awards to be Sponsored by New Zealand Post

New Zealand Post is to become the naming rights sponsor of the New Zealand Book Awards from 2010. This follows the decision by Pernod Ricard New Zealand to make the 2009 Montana Book Awards its last year of sponsorship.

Announcing the change, Hamish Wright Chairman of Booksellers New Zealand, the administrator of the awards, was full of praise for the service to the New Zealand book industry and reading public that had been given by Pernod Ricard New Zealand (formerly Montana Wines) for over a decade.
“Since 1996, excellence in New Zealand writing and publishing has been synonymous with the name Montana. It has been an important feature of the literary scene in this country with much anticipation of finalists and winners.
“This year will be no exception, as the finalists for the 2009 Montana Book Awards will be announced on 2 June, with the winners announced at a gala function at the Auckland War Memorial Museum on 27 July,” said Mr Wright.

New Zealand Post Chief Executive, John Allen said the company was very pleased to assume the naming rights sponsorship for the awards. New Zealand Post are also the current sponsors of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Other sponsors of the awards are Creative New Zealand and Book Tokens Ltd.
“This is the ultimate partnership for us, supporting all New Zealanders in reading and writing,“ he said.

A review of the structure of the New Zealand Book Awards will be undertaken prior to finalising the arrangements for the New Zealand Post sponsorship for 2010.
Booksellers NZ Chief Executive Lincoln Gould said the review would be conducted in June with views and opinions on a new structure to be drawn from the widest possible group of stakeholders and interested parties. It is planned that the new structure will be placed to allow for entries for the 2010 awards to begin in October.

FOOTNOTE:

The Bookman extends his warmest thanks to Montana for their long and generous sponsorship of these awards and must make particular mention of former Montana CEO Pete Hubscher who initiated that sponsorship and who did so much to make Montana NZ's leading art sponsors for so many years. I salute both Montana and Peter Hubscher.

And welcome New Zealand Post and John Allen. What superb corporate sponsors NZ Post have become under John Allen's leadership. They are now clearly the premier sponsor of matters literary in NZ, leaving aside of course Creative NZ, and this further generous ponsorship on thier part is both welcome and appropriate.

And good news too that a review of the awards is to be undertaken.

Hoorah. A great way to end the week.