Stacy Gregg
Stacy Gregg | |
|---|---|
 Gregg in 2018 | |
| Born | 23 July 1968 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupations | Author, journalist, screenwriter |
| Writing career | |
| Language | English |
| Genres | Children's fiction, middle-grade fiction, pony books |
| Notable works | Pony Club Secrets The Princess and the Foal Nine Girls |
| Notable awards | Margaret Mahy Book of the Year (2024) Esther Glen Award (2024) |
| Website | www |
Stacy Gregg (born 23 July 1968) is a New Zealand children's author, screenwriter and former fashion journalist. She is best known for the Pony Club Secrets series of pony novels and her stand-alone novels have won the Children's Choice award at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults three times. Her novel Nine Girls won the 2024 Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction.
Background
Gregg was born in Melbourne to New Zealand parents and grew up in Ngāruawāhia. She is of Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Pūkeko and Ngāti Maru descent. She attended Woodlands Park Primary and then Ngāruawāhia Primary.
As a child Gregg loved Ruby Ferguson's Jill pony books, Walter Farley's The Black Stallion series and Watership Down. She was also inspired by the New Zealand eventing riders Mark Todd and Blyth Tait.
Gregg has studied te reo Māori at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, completing the Level 6 immersion diploma Te Aupikitanga ki te Reo Kairangi.
Career
Fashion journalist
Before and alongside her fiction writing, Gregg worked as a fashion journalist, including for Fashion Quarterly. She reported on New Zealand Fashion Week, as well as London and Sydney fashion weeks and the Paris prêt-à-porter shows. In March 2006 she and advertising creative Michael Lamb launched the fashion website Runway Reporter, which ACP Media acquired that September, with Gregg remaining as editor. In 2009 she appeared as a special guest on the second episode of New Zealand's Next Top Model, credited as editor-at-large of Fashion Quarterly.
Children's books
Gregg's debut novel, Mystic and the Midnight Ride (2007), was the first in her Pony Club Secrets series. The series ran to 13 books, was followed by the four-book Pony Club Rivals series, and was adapted as the CBBC television series Mystic.
In 2018 Gregg began writing picture books with the Mini Whinny series, illustrated by Ruth Paul and published by Scholastic New Zealand. She has described the series as a close collaboration with Paul. Both Mini Whinny: Happy Birthday to Me! (2018) and Mini Whinny: Goody Four-Shoes (2019) were finalists for the Picture Book Award at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Her middle-grade/junior fiction novel Nine Girls (2024) is set in Ngāruawāhia in the late 1970s and early 1980s and draws on her own upbringing and family history. It won both the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction at the 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Gregg has sold more than 1.5 million books and is HarperCollins New Zealand's third best-selling children's author, after David Walliams and Dr. Seuss.
Additional work
Gregg's screenwriting credits include Mystic and the Acorn TV series My Life Is Murder, starring Lucy Lawless.
In 2020 Gregg and fellow author Nicky Pellegrino co-hosted the podcast BookBubble, interviewing New Zealand writers including Elizabeth Knox, Damien Wilkins, Nalini Singh, Victor Rodger and Tayi Tibble about their lives and work, with a final episode on their own experiences of publishing.
Personal life
Gregg lives in Herne Bay, Auckland, with her daughter and is an avid equestrian.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults | Children's Choice, Junior Fiction | The Princess and the Foal | Won |
| 2015 | New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults | Children's Choice, Junior Fiction | The Island of Lost Horses | Won |
| 2016 | New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults | Children's Choice, Junior Fiction | The Girl Who Rode the Wind | Won |
| 2016 | Nene Award | – | The Princess and the Foal | Nominated |
| 2016–17 | William Allen White Children's Book Award | – | The Princess and the Foal | Nominated |
| 2018 | New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults | Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction | The Thunderbolt Pony | Finalist |
| 2019 | Storylines Notable Book Awards | Notable Junior Fiction | The Fire Stallion | Won |
| 2019 | Storylines Notable Book Awards | Notable Picture Book | Mini Whinny: Happy Birthday to Me! | Won |
| 2019 | New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults | Picture Book | Mini Whinny: Happy Birthday to Me! | Finalist |
| 2020 | New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults | Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction | Prince of Ponies | Finalist |
| 2020 | New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults | Picture Book | Mini Whinny: Goody Four-Shoes | Finalist |
| 2023 | Voyager Media Awards | – | "The Māoris From the Town Side of the River" (The Spinoff) | Won |
| 2024 | New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults | Margaret Mahy Book of the Year | Nine Girls | Won |
| 2024 | New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults | Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction | Nine Girls | Won |
| 2024 | Storylines Notable Book Awards | Notable Junior Fiction | Nine Girls | Won |
| 2025 | NZ Booklovers Awards | Best Junior Fiction Book | Nine Girls | Shortlisted |
| 2025 | Historical Association Young Quills Award | Readers aged 11–13 | Nine Girls | Shortlisted |
Bibliography
| Year | No. | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1 | Mystic and the Midnight Ride | Debut novel |
| 2007 | 2 | Blaze and the Dark Rider | |
| 2008 | 3 | Destiny and the Wild Horses | |
| 2008 | 4 | Stardust and the Daredevil Ponies | |
| 2008 | 5 | Comet and the Champion's Cup | |
| 2008 | – | Issie and the Christmas Pony | Special edition |
| 2009 | 6 | Storm and the Silver Bridle | |
| 2009 | 7 | Fortune and the Golden Trophy | |
| 2009 | 8 | Victory and the All-Stars Academy | |
| 2010 | 9 | Flame and the Rebel Riders | |
| 2010 | 10 | Angel and the Flying Stallions | |
| 2011 | 11 | Liberty and the Dream Ride | |
| 2011 | 12 | Nightstorm and the Grand Slam |
| Year | No. | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | The Auditions | |
| 2010 | 2 | Showjumpers | |
| 2011 | 3 | Riding Star | |
| 2011 | 4 | The Prize |
| Year | Title | Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Princess and the Foal | HarperCollins | Children's Choice Junior Fiction, NZ Post Book Awards 2014 |
| 2014 | The Island of Lost Horses | HarperCollins | Children's Choice Junior Fiction, NZ Post Book Awards 2015 |
| 2015 | The Girl Who Rode the Wind | HarperCollins | Children's Choice Junior Fiction, NZ Book Awards 2016 |
| 2016 | The Diamond Horse | HarperCollins | |
| 2017 | The Thunderbolt Pony | HarperCollins | Finalist, Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction 2018 |
| 2018 | The Fire Stallion | HarperCollins | Storylines Notable Book 2019 |
| 2019 | Prince of Ponies | HarperCollins | Finalist, Junior Fiction, NZ Book Awards 2020 |
| 2020 | The Forever Horse | HarperCollins | |
| 2024 | Nine Girls | Penguin Random House | Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction 2024 |
| 2025 | The Last Journey | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | No. | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | Magic and Mischief | |
| 2021 | 2 | Sugar and Spice | |
| 2021 | 3 | Wishes and Weddings | |
| 2021 | 4 | Fortune and Cookies | |
| 2021 | 5 | Rainbows and Ribbons | |
| 2021 | 6 | Dancing and Dreams |
| Year | Title | Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Mini Whinny: Happy Birthday to Me! | Scholastic | Illustrated by Ruth Paul; Storylines Notable Book |
| 2019 | Mini Whinny: Goody Four-Shoes | Scholastic | Illustrated by Ruth Paul |
| 2023 | In or Out: A Tale of Cat versus Dog | HarperCollins | Illustrated by Sarah Jennings |
| 2024 | The Easter Bunny Hunt | HarperCollins | Illustrated by Sarah Jennings |
External links
- Gregg's official website
- Stacy Gregg at IMDb
- Stacy Gregg at Read NZ Te Pou Muramura
References
- 1 2 3 "Bestselling author Stacy Gregg wins Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award for the first time". New Zealand Society of Authors. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Interview with Stacy Gregg". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ↑ "Stacy Gregg". Newsroom. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- ↑ Smith, Charmian (7 March 2008). "Horses and fashion a winning combination". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- ↑ "ACP Media acquires Runway Reporter" (Press release). ACP Media. 29 September 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2026 – via Scoop.
- ↑ "The Girls Fly High". New Zealand's Next Top Model. Season 1. Episode 2. 20 March 2009. TV3.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Stacy Gregg". Read NZ Te Pou Muramura. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- ↑ "Mini Whinny: Happy Birthday to Me! Teachers' notes" (PDF). Scholastic New Zealand. 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- ↑ "Interview: Stacy Gregg talks about the Mini Whinny books". NZ Booklovers. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- 1 2 "New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2019 - Shortlist". New Zealand Book Awards Trust. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- 1 2 3 "New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2020 - Shortlist". New Zealand Book Awards Trust. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- ↑ "Who won the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults?". RNZ. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ↑ "Stacy Gregg Wins 2024 Margaret Mahy Book of the Year for 'Nine Girls'". Te Ao Māori News. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ↑ "Stacy Gregg". Penguin Books New Zealand. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- ↑ Gregg, Stacy; Pellegrino, Nicky (19 July 2020). "BookBubble podcast: Stacy & Nicky". Newsroom. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- 1 2 "The Princess and the Foal". Penguin Classroom. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- ↑ "2016 Nene Award Winners". FictionDB. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- ↑ "New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2018 - Shortlist". New Zealand Book Awards Trust. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Nine Girls". Penguin Books Australia. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- ↑ "Young Quills shortlist for 2025". Historical Association. 14 May 2025. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
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