<![CDATA[Katie Furze - News & Events]]>Mon, 04 May 2026 03:42:06 +1200Weebly<![CDATA[Cover Reveal!]]>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 23:12:04 GMThttps://www.katiefurze.com/news-blog/cover-reveal8423383

​I'm extremely excited to share the cover of our new nonfiction picture book - how cute is this baby fur seal?!
KEKENO, Curious Explorer is written by me and illustrated by the incredible Ned Barraud. The story follows a New Zealand fur seal pup for the first year of his life, from the rocky shore where he is born, where he learns to swim, dive and catch fish, to leaving home and exploring the world. KEKENO will be wandering into bookstores in early May.
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]]><![CDATA[RURU flies to Denmark!]]>Sun, 16 Nov 2025 20:47:30 GMThttps://www.katiefurze.com/news-blog/ruru-flies-to-denmarkRURU, Night Hunter is now available in a beautiful hardcover edition in Danish language from Bogoo Books, Denmark.
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]]><![CDATA[2025 Notable Book Awards]]>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 21:38:45 GMThttps://www.katiefurze.com/news-blog/2025-notable-book-awardsI’m delighted that PEKAPEKA has been selected for a Notable Book Award by Storylines, the Children's Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand! There are so many wonderful pukapuka on these lists including AT HOME ON THE FARM by my co-creator Ned Barraud. You can read the full list of notables here.
]]><![CDATA[2025 NZCYA Awards]]>Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:29:40 GMThttps://www.katiefurze.com/news-blog/2025-nzcya-awardsWow, what an incredible night at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults! Thank you to the judges and everyone involved behind the scenes in organising this brilliant event. It was such an honour to be a finalist. 
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]]><![CDATA[RURU is a Crystal Kite Finalist!]]>Wed, 09 Jul 2025 21:12:49 GMThttps://www.katiefurze.com/news-blog/ruru-is-a-crystal-kite-finalistI'm thrilled our book RURU Night Hunter has made it to the final round of the SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards! It is such an honour to be selected by your peers at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
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]]><![CDATA[Publication Day!]]>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMThttps://www.katiefurze.com/news-blog/publication-day​PEKAPEKA Secret Forest Bat is zip, zap, zooming into bookstores this week!
I'm so grateful to everyone who helped in bringing PEKAPEKA to life:
The Illustrations by Ned Barraud are AMAZING (some of my favourites below).
Published by Scholastic NZ.
Designed by Vida Kelly.
Thank you also to my wonderful critique buddies (you know who you are) and my agent Frances Plumpton.
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]]><![CDATA[RURU is a NZCYA Finalist!!!]]>Fri, 06 Jun 2025 00:17:26 GMThttps://www.katiefurze.com/news-blog/ruru-is-a-nzcya-finalist
I'm absolutely delighted that our book RURU, Night Hunter is a finalist in the Elsie Locke Award for non-fiction! It is such an honour to be selected at this level and I'm most grateful to the all the people who have helped RURU on its journey so far - thank you to the team at Scholastic, Vida Kelly, Frances Plumpton, my writer friends and critique buddies.
]]><![CDATA[Book Week at Te Uho o te Nikau Primary School]]>Wed, 07 May 2025 01:48:32 GMThttps://www.katiefurze.com/news-blog/book-week-at-te-uho-o-te-nikau-primary-schoolThis week I visited Te Uho o te Nikau Primary School in Flatbush, Auckland during their Book Week. I had a great day reading RURU, Night Hunter and TUATARA, A living Treasure and speaking about our special native species with many enthusiastic tamariki in year 1-3 classes. Here's some photos: 
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]]><![CDATA[Cover Reveal!]]>Mon, 31 Mar 2025 03:52:36 GMThttps://www.katiefurze.com/news-blog/cover-reveal8448834Our new book, PEKAPEKA: SECRET FOREST BAT, has been in the works for a while and I'm happy to finally be able to share the cover. (Love it so much!)
Pekapeka (bats) are Aotearoa New Zealand's only native land mammals which makes them extremely special.
The book is set in an ancient forest, and follows Pekapeka, a short-tailed bat, on her nocturnal adventures as she forages for food, evades predators, and plays a crucial role in pollinating native plants, all while navigating the many dangers hidden in the night.
'When velvety dark descends, the whole colony wakes and the hollow comes alive with twitching and chittering.'
PEKAPEKA: SECRET FOREST BAT will be zip, zap, zooming into booksellers on 1 July! 🤸‍♀️
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]]><![CDATA[2024 NZ Listener Kids Top 50]]>Sun, 01 Dec 2024 21:05:33 GMThttps://www.katiefurze.com/news-blog/2024-nz-listener-kids-top-50Absolutely delighted that Ruru, Night Hunter has been selected by the NZ Listener as a best book for children and young adults in 2024! There are so many incredible pukapuka in this list from both Aotearoa and overseas, including Ned Barruad's wonderful book, Tasting with Your Feet. I'm so happy to see Ruru included - thank you Ann Packer and the NZ Listener!
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