Later they expanded to encompass a wide range of awards for non-fiction, young adult, illustration, works in Te Reo Māori and librarian’s choice as well as fiction.
Its aim was to encourage the writing and production of high-quality non-fiction books for young New Zealand readers.
In 2002, it was renamed the LIANZA Elsie Locke Non-fiction Award to commemorate the life and work of Elsie Locke (1912–2001), whose own fiction and non-fiction for children often focused on New Zealand history.
[2] Elsie Locke was a writer, historian, peace activist and campaigner for women’s rights, social justice, nuclear disarmament and the environment.
[4] Her historical children’s novels included The Runaway Settlers (1965), The End of the Harbour (1969) and A Canoe in the Mist (1984), and her non-fiction for young people included Two Peoples, One Land: A History of Aotearoa (1988).