Hello

I'm Amanda McKenzie, a children's writer and school librarian from Aotearoa, New Zealand. I started writing stories and poetry for children while completing Janice Marriott's Go Write Now for children course in 2024.

In 2025, I was thrilled to be named joint winner of the 'Big Things, Little Things' poetry competition with my poem, 'Peacock Mantis Shrimp'. It was made into a downloadable poster with teaching notes thanks to the fantastic folk at SLANZA (the School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa).

You can read more about why I love reading and writing kid-lit in this interview with the wonderful Little Thoughts Press.