Kete couldn’t function without the wonderful reviewers who write for us all year. And while all 'Favourites of the year' lists are by default not comprehensive, we think the books on this one are pretty special, because they’re the ones some of our reviewers rave about.

It’s been a cracking year for books in Aotearoa, despite the challenging economy, and we hope this list gives you inspiration for reading our homegrown, world-class stories.

Fiction

Huia Short Stories 16, by various authors (Huia Publishers)

There is something deeply affirming about seeing tauira published alongside established voices. Huia Short Stories 16 is one of the few spaces where tuakana–teina Māori are intentionally fostered — with Hawea Apiata’s haunting story and a student's candid reflection on being a ‘White Māori’ among the standouts. I can't wait to see what all this talent will produce in the future.

- Mairātea Mohi

1985, by Dominic Hoey (Penguin Books)

Simply one of best novels to come out of NZ for many years. Funny as well as heartbreaking -  a rough around the edges page-turner. It should win a thousand prizes.

- Greg Fleming

Good Things Come and Go, by Josie Shapiro (Allen & Unwin)

I loved this novel for its stunning writing and its complex, nuanced characters — each weathered by life, yet achingly sympathetic. It's a book that is both gentle and weighty, a page-turner that also makes you think. The exploration of midlife resonated with me in all its heartache and hope, regret and reminiscence.

- Clare Travaglia

Hoods Landing, by Laura Vincent (Āporo Press)

I thought reading Hoods Landing might be like being a fly on the wall at someone else's Christmas. This is not the case. It is like being welcomed home - you end up feeling as fiercely protective of the Gordons as they do each other. It is 'Aotearoa Gothic' in the most charming, gay, and life-affirming way. Truly a delight! Read it on holiday at the bach, read it by the water, hell, even read it at a funeral - just read it!

- Hebe Kearney

Softly Calls the Devil, by Chris Blake

It’s been a relatively quiet year for local crime fiction, with lots of good books but few standouts. Softly Calls the Devil, Chris Blake’s much awaited second novel was an exception - full of lived experience and vivid characters.

- Greg Fleming

The American Boys by Olivia Spooner (Moa Press)

Another gorgeously written historical fiction based on real Kiwi history, Olivia Spooner's third novel delivers an insightful look at the deployment of US Marines to New Zealand at the height of WWII through the lens of a young Wellingtonian woman and the two American brothers who are dropped into her ordinary life. I learned so much about this period of little-known New Zealand history! Certainly a standout for me this year, and a must-read for those who love heart-warming fiction based on fact. 

- Stacey Clair

Non-Fiction

Full Circle: A Personal Story of Reconnection by Jenny-May Clarkson (HarperCollins)

This is the non-fiction book I'd highly recommend this year. Long after I turned the final page, Clarkson's story stayed with me, reverberating in my mind and leaving lasting insights.

- Angela Walker

New Zealand Photography Collected, by Athol McCredie (Te Papa Press)

Over 350 images from 1850s daguerrotypes to 2025 digital shots. They cover NZ people, places, sciences, events, the nature of photography itself. They're accompanied by informative, accessible text. A visually stunning book; you'll exclaim aloud every second page.

- David Hill

Fire & Ice: Secrets, Histories, Treasures and Mysteries of Tongariro National Park, by Hazel Phillips (Massey University Press)

This book was genuinely a sleeper hit of my reading list in 2025. I was immediately pulled in to Hazel Phillips' immersive writing – she brought this social history to life thanks to a combination of meticulous research, her own literal legwork hiking every inch of the park and the inclusion of hundreds of amazing archival images and records (don't skip on reading the captions). In the wake of the devastating wildfires that ripped through Tongariro National Park earlier this year, I can think of no better time to engage with the stories of many of the people who loved it, who explored it and – yes – who occasionally died on it. Fire & Ice is a book that can genuinely be read cover-to-cover.

- Claire Williamson

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (audio) (Pan MacMillan)

If you're interested at all in the rise and not-quite-fall of one of the most powerful companies on Earth, former Facebook policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams' memoir of her time spent in the inner circle is at turns fascinating, funny, and jaw-droppingly dark. From its humble beginnings as an app with social connection at its core to an inflated player at the highest global political tables, Wynn-Williams unpacks the cutthroat world of Facebook and exposes just how detached from the real world its team has become. Sarah narrates the audiobook and I highly recommend listening to her tell her shocking story.

- Stacey Clair

Poetry

Sick Power Trip, by Erik Kennedy (Te Herenga Waka University Press)

Excellently witty and unapologetically political, Sick Power Trip sits right up there alongside Erik Kennedy’s previous Aotearoa-published collections. I admire the surprising turns of phrase loaded with both satire and sincerity, and the affecting writing about illness, hardship, and hope.

- Anuja Mitra

Giving Birth to My Father, by Tusiata Avia (Te Herenga Waka University Press)

My best book recommendation from 2025 is Tusiata Avia’s latest collection of poetry. The book is courageous and personal. The poems are thought provoking, luminous, engaging, hilarious and sad. I loved the lyrical imagery and bravery of this book. 

- Gina Cole

No Good by Sophie van Waardenberg (Auckland University Press)

No Good is exactly what I want from a poetry book!! Sophie's use of language is unmatched, always getting right at the heart of the thing, with turns of phrase that roll around pleasingly in my head. In the poems, loss sits alongside tangible joy, often found in small and unexpected places.

- Ash Davida Jane

Mad Diva, by Cadence Chung (Otago University Press)

A beautiful composition of mythology, performance, and fantasy. An ode to the full-spectrum of womanhood; its violent turmoil and exhilarating pleasures. Mad Diva is life and art at the highest octave.

- Melanie Kwang

Joss: A History, by Grace Yee (Giramondo Publishing)

My pick is Grace Yee’s second poetry collection, Joss: A History. It's a glorious, confronting and illuminating insight into Chinese communities who arrived in Australia and Aotearoa during the 1850s gold rush years, and of their descendants. Love it so much.

- Angelique Kasmara

Kids

Whenua: Māori Pūrākau of Aotearoa by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

Making a best children’s book recommendation for 2025 is a bit like asking a mother to chose her favourite child. There are things I love about all of them. The picture book that I am fully immersed in at this very moment in time is something that any one of any age can enjoy diving into - Whenua:Māori Pūrākau of Aotearoa by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White. Te Aho-White's gentle style of story telling imparts interesting information (much of it new to me) without the reader (or listener) even realising. And then there are her marvellous illustrations which transport the audience to a different time and place to swim with taniwha and fly with manu.  Whenua would make a perfect read-aloud for families to savour together, one bite-sized story at a time over the summer holidays and wherever in the motu you are spending time with whānau there is a pūrākau or legend about a place near by for you to share.

- Alex Eagles-Tully

The Secret Green by Sonya Wilson (Allen & Unwin Children’s)

The Secret Green was a favourite middle grade read for me this year. It’s the follow up to 2021's New Zealand Children’s Book Award winning Spark Hunter and a pacey, vividly imagined magical adventure in its own right. Set in the wilds of Fiordland, The Secret Green is well-observed and funny. It’s also a timely reminder to treat the natural world around us with wonder and respect.   

- Kirsteen Ure

The Paradise Generation, by Sanna Thompson

This debut won the Young Adult Fiction Award at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Wellington-set, it’s dystopia at its finest, taut and fast-moving with a natural humour and engaging characters. 

- Erica Stretton

Omnibird, by Giselle Clarkson (Gecko Press)

 A non-fiction favourite of mine for kids this year was Giselle Clarkson’s Omnibird. Aimed at eight to twelve year olds, Omnibird is no ordinary bird book. It asks readers to marvel at birds of every feather (from native birds to the humble chicken) and takes a taxonomic approach to bird identification, encouraging kids to be avian detectives. Highly illustrated with Clarkson’s charming, distinctive cartoons and humorous notes, it’s also written in engaging prose with a dash of whimsy. Eggcellent!  

- Kirsteen Ure