Victoria University's 2010 JD Stout Fellow will explore the contribution of Jewish refugees from Hitler's Germany, among other war-time immigrants, to New Zealand's national identity and culture.

Victoria University of Wellington will confer honorary degrees on a world-class chemist and an international authority on the Irish diaspora.

A new book is set to uncover the secrets of John Key and National's success in the 2008 general election.

Emily Perkins has won the 2009 Montana Medal for Fiction or Poetry for her taut and chilling book, Novel About My Wife.

Jenny Bornholdt has won the 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards Poetry prize for her collection The Rocky Shore; a book that judges say has achieved something significantly new in poetic practice in this country.

23 JUNE 2009 - Australasian publisher Hugh Price will be presented with an honorary Doctorate of Literature from Victoria University for his achievements in the world of publishing, and his contribution to New Zealand literature.

27 January 2009 - A senior academic will lead the judging panel in the country's most prestigious book awards this year.