Lucy Mackintosh’s acclaimed book, Shifting Grounds: Deep Histories of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, was last night announced as the co-winner of the 2022 Ernest Scott Prize for History.
The prestigious prize is awarded annually to the most distinguished written contribution to the history of Australia or New Zealand, or to the history of colonisation. Lucy Mackintosh shares the award with Janet McCalman for her book Vandemonium: The Repressed History of Colonial Victoria.
Shifting Grounds provides a rare historical assessment of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland's past, with findings and stories that deepen understanding of New Zealand history. Richly illustrated, the book explores histories across three iconic landscapes: Pukekawa/Auckland Domain, Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill and the Ōtuataua Stonefields at Ihumātao.
The judges commented that:
This beautifully produced, absorbing book is a treat to read. Lucy Mackintosh delivers immersive deep histories of three Auckland sites and its peoples with care and compassion … In Shifting Grounds, Auckland’s landscapes are saturated with power and domination as well as delicate human stories that reveal histories of connection across deep time.
Shifting Grounds has had a major impact since publication in November 2021, reprinting two weeks after release and finding readers nationwide. The book was recently shortlisted for the Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.