1930s: New Zealand literature in English enters a fruitful period. A distinct New Zealand voice begins to emerge, and poetry, the novel, and the short story forms flourish. Much literary output is stimulated by issues raised by the depression.

Today: New Zealand has a number of world-renowned authors, including novelist and short story writer Janet Frame (1924—2004), the most acclaimed New Zealand author of the twentieth century; and Ngaio Marsh (1899—1982), who is renowned for her crime fiction. There is also an upsurge in the prestige and popularity of Maori literature. Maori novelist Keri Hulme (1947—) wins the prestigious Booker Prize in 1995 for her novel The Bone People, and Whale Rider (1987) by Witi Ihimaera (1944—) is adapted into the Oscar-nominated film in 2002.

1930s: In 1932, there are riots in Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin in response to the Great Depression. In the wake of the depression...