[1][2][3] The awards have changed name several times depending on sponsorship.
[2] Since 2015, the main sponsors have been property developer Ockham Residential, the Acorn Foundation, Creative New Zealand, Mary and Peter Biggs, Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand and biotech company MitoQ.
[1][6] The first recipients were John Morton and Michael Miller for The New Zealand Sea Shore.
Annual awards were presented for literary merit in fiction, non-fiction, poetry and (later) book production.
[6] In 1996, the two award series were amalgamated to form the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, managed by Booksellers New Zealand (a bookselling association) and offering prizes in six categories.
[2][6] In 2015, Auckland property development firm Ockham Residential assumed sponsorship of the awards, and the New Zealand Book Awards Trust took over the governance and management.
Since the first Ockham New Zealand Book Awards in 2016, the ceremony has been held each year in May, as part of the Auckland Writers Festival.
[2] In 2020 the award winners were announced in a virtual presentation, after the Auckland Writers Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
[5] As of 2021[update], there are five principal prizes: fiction (currently known as the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction), general non-fiction (sponsored by Royal Society Te Apārangi), illustrated non-fiction, poetry (currently known as the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry) and Te Mūrau o te Tuhi Māori Language Award for books written entirely in te reo Māori.
"Best First Book" prizes are awarded to first time authors in the first four categories, currently sponsored by MitoQ.
From 1997 to 2014, this award was known as the NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book of Fiction Prize.
Prior to 1996, this award had been presented since 1945 by PEN NZ, and was named for the poet, novelist and critic Hubert Church.
From 1997 to 2014, this award was known as the NZSA Jessie Mackay Best First Book of Poetry Prize.
Prior to 1996, this award had been presented since 1940 by PEN NZ, and was named for Jessie Mackay, New Zealand's first local-born poet.
The award is named for New Zealand historian and biographer Eric Hall McCormick.
Since 2022, this award has been known as the Judith Binney Prize for Illustrated Non-Fiction.
The award is named after the New Zealand historian Judith Binney.
This award is made at the discretion of a specially appointed judge.