New Zealand author Maurice Gee has died in Nelson aged 93.
One of the country’s most prolific and well-known writers, Gee wrote more than 30 novels for both adults and children.
His novel Under The Mountain was adapted for TV in 1981 and into a film in 2009.
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack confirmed Gee’s passing as “such sad news” in a social media post.
“Maurice Gee was a giant of New Zealand’s literary world, and his stories shaped the upbringings of many of us,” she noted.
In a statement posted to X, poet Bill Manhire called Gee “one of the greats”.
Gee was born in Whakatāne in 1931 and raised in west Auckland, a location that featured frequently in his writing.
He won multiple awards for his writing, including top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship and a Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement.
