Patricia Grace

Patricia Frances Grace (born 17 August 1937) is a New Zealand writer of Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, and Te Āti Awa Māori descent, renowned for her novels, short stories, and children's books that explore Māori life, culture, and interactions with Pākehā society. She pioneered Māori fiction as the first female Māori writer to publish a short-story collection (Waiariki, 1975) and achieved major success with her novel Potiki (1986), which won the New Zealand Book Award for Fiction. Grace has received numerous accolades, including the Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.