SCBWI New Zealand

by Katie Furze What a day! It started with Books Alive  for school students in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, where I was thrilled to meet some of the other finalists as well as thousands of book-loving tamariki and rangitahi. The National Library was abuzz with excited youngsters rushing between lightning talks, signings, live drawing, workshops, and behind-the-book sessions. The whole day was so well organised by the team of librarians that everything worked seamlessly – yay for librarians!  Ned Barraud and I read our book Tuatara, A Living Treasure to a packed auditorium alongside author/illustrator Raymond McGrath and illustrator Zak Atea. Later in the day, we ran a joint workshop:  Writing and Illustrating Nature . It was the first time Ned and I had presented together (and the first time we’d met in real life) – a special occasion all round!  After Books Alive, Scholastic NZ and the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) put on drinks and nibbles at the Backbencher. I re

This month SCBWI New Zealand interviews Aki Fukuoka Aki Fukuoka is a children’s book illustrator based in rural Whangarei. With over 80 published titles, her work includes popular series such as Billie B Brown (Hardie Grant Egmont), Sam Kerr (Simon & Schuster), Go Girl (Hardie Grant Egmont), and Lily the Littlest Angel (Scholastic). Born in Japan and raised in New Zealand, Aki was encouraged by her parents to explore art from a young age. Alongside her four siblings, she spent her days adventuring their backyard, filled with bushes and wildlife, playing musical instruments, drawing, and inventing stories. This early immersion in imaginative play is a significant reason why Aki enjoys creating stories, characters, and whimsical scenes. Aki’s commitment to art deepened after achieving the highest mark in New Zealand for her high school art studies. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland, and later pursued postgraduate studies focused