‘That story launched my career’

Andre´ Nga¯po¯ was lying on the couch when he decided to enter the Sunday Star-Times short story competition – he tells Warwick Rasmussen how his win was a ‘‘massive boost of confidence’’.

There’s a sparkle and intensity that spreads across Andre´ Nga¯po¯’s face whenever he talks about any of his creative endeavours.

The 44-year-old teacher is one of those people constantly bubbling with ideas. It could be a song he’s collaborating on or a book he’s working on. His mind is a constant whir of activity and possibility.

From a young age Nga¯po¯ (Nga¯ti Porou, Nga¯ti Awa, Nga¯puhi and Nga¯ti Tamatera¯) always sought a creative outlet.

He’d enjoyed creative writing while growing up, but it wasn’t until he spotted an ad for the Sunday Star-Times short story competition 12 years ago that he really did something about.

‘‘I saw an advert in the paper about three weeks before the deadline.’’

But it wasn’t until he saw it a second time, while lying on the couch, that something clicked. ‘‘I sat down that same day and started to sketch out some ideas.’’

That burst of creativity ended up winning the open category of the competition and the $5000 prize, with a story called Te Pou.

His short story was about a group of young people living in a small Ma¯ori community, and was described by judge Stephanie Johnson as ‘‘rich with metaphor and symbolism, seamlessly sewn into the narrative’’.

Nga¯po¯ said he could not understate what winning the award meant.

‘‘That story launched my career. It put me in the room with established writers and creatives. It was massive. It immediately boosted my confidence.

‘‘I look back on that win with great gratitude, and I’m so thankful that I was able to take [judge] Steph Johnson on a journey.’’

Winning the short story competition – the 2020 version of which launches today – also opened up new opportunities and since then he has had a number of children’s books published, including Haere Atu!, Matariki Holiday, My Book, How Kiwi Saved the Forest, and Helping at the Marae, along with countless pieces for educational publications like school journals.

Nga¯po¯ said it was important because of who he was and where he came from that his stories were infused with te ao Ma¯ori. ‘‘Ninety-nine per cent of my stories have Ma¯ori characters, and I think it’s important to help kids look, see and read that.’’

Nga¯po¯ grew up in Paeroa, trained in Hamilton, and worked for many years in Raglan as a teacher, and this year moved to Raumati South, north of Wellington.

Being a teacher helped him appreciate those educators that popped up at the right time to foster his creativity.

‘‘I really believe in the power of good teachers, and there were some that were really big influences on me, who gave me confidence along the way.’’

His advice for anyone thinking of entering this year’s competition is to read previous winners to get a feel for the type of stories that do well, but above all try and write based on your experiences.

‘‘And if it’s outside that brings in things that are at least relatable to your own experience [and] really bring your personal voice through.’’

He also suggested finding people whose opinions you trust to offer honest feedback.

‘‘It helps you see things that you haven’t seen before. It’s always good to have some more eyes.’’

The short story awards, now in their 37th year, again welcome back a familiar sponsor.

‘‘Penguin Random House has sponsored this prestigious competition for the past 15 years,’’ said fiction publisher Harriet Allan, of Penguin Random House NZ.

‘‘We are proud to be backing writers of New Zealand fiction and look forward to discovering new talent among the entries.

‘‘Judith White, Carl Nixon, Sarah Laing and Eileen Merriman are just some of the wonderful finalists whose books we have subsequently published. In the era of lockdown and closed borders, the perfect escape is into fiction.’’

Sunday Star-Times editor Tracy Watkins said the competition has a long and prestigious history.

‘‘I’m thrilled that we have been able to offer increased prize money this year with our partners Penguin Random House NZ.

‘‘It’s a reflection of the commitment we all bring to the competition and an acknowledgement of its huge contribution to the New Zealand writing scene.

‘‘We will also be introducing some exciting new elements to the competition this year, including a writers webinar hosted by New Zealand’s leading publishers and novelists.’’

Watkins said more will be announced about the series in the coming weeks.