The LIANZA Young People's Non-Fiction Award was an initiative of the
Library and information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA). The LIANZA Children and Young Adult Book Awards began in 1945 with the
Esther Glen Award. 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. The Awards were judged by a panel of experienced librarians. The non-fiction award, established in 1986, was known as the LIANZA Young People’s Non-Fiction Award. 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. Elsie Locke was a writer, historian, peace activist and campaigner for women’s rights, social justice, nuclear disarmament and the environment. She won a number of awards for her writing including the
Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book and the
Margaret Mahy Medal. 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). In 2016, the LIANZA Awards were merged with the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The Award is now called the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction. == List of recipients ==