First-time fiction writer Ingrid Horrocks has won New Zealand’s richest literary prize for her debut short story collection, All Her Lives . The Wellington-based poet, essayist and memoirist won the prestigious NZ$65,000 (A$53,000, £28,500) Jann Medlicott Acorn prize for fiction at the 2026 Ockham New Zealand book awards on Wednesday night. The book follows nine women across nine different life stages and generations, as they navigate politics, gender and motherhood. Horrocks’ win marks only the fifth time a short story collection has won the top prize since the awards began 58 years ago. Horrocks was shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn prize alongside debut novelist and food writer Laura Vincent, artist and author Sam Mahon, and award-winning writer Catherine Chidgey, the only author to have previously won the top prize twice. Speaking to the Guardian, Horrocks said she was “stunned and shocked” when her name was called out, and that her win had encouraged to write more fiction.…