Sonya Wilson
Sonya Wilson (1978 –) was born and raised in Southland, where she recalls spending her childhood exploring the forests of Manapouri and Doubtful Sound, igniting a wonder and love for Fiordland and the natural world that would eventually inspire her debut novel, Spark Hunter.
Prior to becoming a novelist, she spent over 20 years in the broadcast journalism industry as a reporter, presenter, and journalist for programmes like One News, Breakfast, 20/20 and Sunday. She continues to work occasionally as a freelance journalist, producer and researcher, and publishes creative non-fiction, book reviews, essays, and articles for adult readers, as well as her novels for children.
In 2017, she returned to university to pursue a Masters in Creative Writing, graduating from Auckland University with the first draft of what would become Spark Hunter. This is a fun adventure-fantasy novel for middle-grade readers set in the wilds of Fiordland National Park and was first published by Ahoy!/The Cuba Press in 2021, then again by Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand in 2025 along with its sequel. Since its release, it has received national acclaim, hitting several bestsellers' lists and winning multiple awards.
In 2022, Spark Hunter was nominated for the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel and shortlisted for the Esther Glen Junior Fiction Prize. In that same year, it won the Storylines Notable Book Award (2022) and the NZSA Best First Book Award at the 2022 Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Wilson’s second novel, The Secret Green, is a sequel to Spark Hunter and was published in 2025, also by Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand. It follows the protagonist as she is drawn back into the Fiordland forest to rescue it and the magic within from a cruel fate. In 2026, it won the Storylines Notable Book Award and was the winner of the 2026 NZ Booklovers Award for Best Junior Fiction Book.
Wilson is passionate about the power of books and remains involved in the writing and reading community. In 2019, she founded the charity Kiwi Christmas Books, which works to provide brand-new books to children whose parents cannot afford to buy Christmas presents, or who otherwise have limited access to quality books year-round. Today, Kiwi Christmas Books is a nationwide charity, distributing thousands of brand-new books to children all over New Zealand every year.
In addition, Wilson is a regular at schools, delivering talks and workshops, as well as teaching creative writing, chairing sessions and giving presentations and speeches at events and writers’ festivals around the country.
Sonya Wilson currently resides in Auckland with her husband and two children.
