Wallace Chapman is host of pub politics show Back benches TVNZ7 and Sky 97 as well as Drive host on KiwiFM. He is former bFM breakfast host, major fan of Deadwood and The Wire and an avid reader.

His five favourite picks from the prolific pile of recent NZ history publications are…

Nick Dwyer has worked in Music Television longer than anyone in the Industry.

In the last five years he has moved to the other side of the camera as well, writing, producing and directing music and culture based travel shows for C4 which has seen him shooting all over the world.

Nick had the task of choosing books for pure reading enjoyment. His choices reflect his interest in travel and an uncanny knack to pick the winners!

Katrina Grant plays an important role in Southern Steel’s staunch defensive unit in the ANZ Championship, and in 2009 made that competitions’ top ten lists with 21 defensive rebounds and 22 intercepts.

Katrina was named in the Silver Ferns team for the first time in August 2008 to play Australia in the New World International Netball Series. Her excellent debut at goal defense in the 2nd Test of that series was a highlight of the match, which was won by the Silver Ferns, 38–31.

Her selection of books (with a little help from her Southern Steel team mates) from the DIY category is a genuine all-rounder.

Craig Parker is one of New Zealand’s best-known actors having become a household name for his role as Guy Warner in the popular long-running drama series Shortland Street. He is also internationally recognized from the Lord of the Rings in which he played the character of Haldir.
 

New Zealand's only daily-live free to air kids show Studio 2 featuring Matt Gibb, Dayna Vawdrey, Jordan Vandermade and Vicki Lin, choose their favourite kids books.

YES we do have favourites and YES Studio 2 does love books!

View the celebrities and the books they chose from previous NZ Book Month celebrations.

Dave Armstrong is a Wellington writer and playwright. His plays include King and Country – a musical play about the First World War which has been performed throughout the country and recently won best dramatic production in the NZ Radio Awards.

Whether as a confrère Colin McCahon at Auckland Art Gallery, the chairman of the Arts Council, husband of Oscarwinning film costume designer Ngila Dickson, bon vivant and accomplished chef or arch enemy of dodgy bureaucrats, Hamish Keith has a dynamic personality, a sharp wit and a trenchant analysis that makes him a pleasure to read.

Wallace Chapman is the Presenter of the live pub politics show Back Benches on TVNZ 7 and hosts The Wallace Chapman Drive on KiwiFM. He is the former 95bFM Breakfast host and regular commentator on TVNZ Breakfast and Good Morning.

Shonagh Koea’s notable writing career met with early success in a Woman’s Weekly writing contest, in which (aged eight) she won two guineas. She went on to become a journalist and to win the Air New Zealand Short Story Award (1981), and more recently to write three short story collections as well as seven novels.

After a small break (recovering from her near-death at the hands of the Ferndale Strangler), actor Sarah Thomson is back for her second stint on Shortland Street, playing Nurse Tracey Morrison.Sarah’s on-screen and off-screen credentials are pretty impressive.
 
She has been seen on screen in a wide variety of roles, playing everything from an alien to a pizza freak with a sinus problem, in US Disney’s Power Rangers series.

Miriama Kamo is the presenter of TV2’s top rating current affairs programme, 20/20.  She  came to 20/20 after three years onscreen as a correspondent for award-winning current affairs programme Sunday.

Miriama's journalism career began in radio, where she worked throughout the country as an announcer and producer.

Since moving to television a decade ago, Miriama has worked in just about every genre, from children's programmes to lifestyle, from sports to the arts.

Emily Perkins is the author of Not Her Real Name, a collection of short stories which won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, and the novels Leave Before You Go and The New Girl. She is the host of The Book Show.  Emily lives in Auckland.

19 year-old Harry McNaughton is a new face to New Zealand television screens. He describes himself as having ‘belly-flopped’ straight into the acting industry having never done any previous film and television work before landing the role of new receptionist Gerald Tippett on Shortland Street.

A South Islander, Richard Till was born in 1959 and grew up in Christchurch and Dunedin. He liked metalwork and woodwork at school and developed an interest in food by watching his mother deal with everyday meals, ‘filling the tins’ and being a hostess for ‘important’ people (Richard’s father is Maurice Till, the well-known pianist).

In 2002 founding members of Elemeno P Dave Gibson and Justyn Pilbrow turned up on the steps of Universal Records asking for a record deal. The two bright-eyed bushy tailed hopefuls were full of life and beans they were also oblivious to ‘the rules’ their country had laid down in order to make it.

Witi Ihimaera is a New Zealand Maori and a renowned Pacific writer. He has written several of the major New Zealand novels of the past two decades and has also edited and compiled some highly regarded anthologies and works of non-fiction. He is also a frequent commentator and writer on Maori affairs. He has received a number of New Zealand book awards.

Jennifer's 3 book choices reflect her interest in theatre – she's worked extensively in theatre, film and television for over 25 years and in 2007 was on the New Years Honours List – named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Three well-known writers who characterize great NZ literature are her top choices…

Funnyman, Dai, is a well-known face on the comedy circuit and is the star of his own show Roll the Dai. His three favourite books reflect contemporary culture, lyricism and a childhood legacy that lingers in our national psyche…

Steve is an award-winning New Zealand author, columnist, journalist and editor. His new book Fish of the Week is out this month. The books he’s chosen reflect his fascination with New Zealand letters, New Zealand history, and New Zealand hot pools.