Open only to financial members of the NZSA, the programme, sponsored by Creative New Zealand, was set up to give beginning writers who demonstrate potential and commitment the opportunity to work closely with an experienced writer as their mentor.

Also available: the Tertiary Mentor Programme, and the Youth Mentor Programme.

Open only to financial members of the NZSA the programme, sponsored by Creative New Zealand, is for new writers with little or no publication in book form. (May be published in literary journals and periodicals). The objective of the programme is to give authors who have written and revised to second or third draft a manuscript of poetry, fiction, short fiction and non-fiction the opportunity to have it assessed by an experienced assessor.

The NZSA Manuscript Appraisal Service is an excellent opportunity for writers who have completed part or all of a manuscript to get a professional overview of their unpublished work. The manuscripts are appraised by experienced authors and assessors in a one to two page report. They will also answer up to three specific questions that the writer may submit with the manuscript. There is one place each year for a manuscript that contains significant Maori language content.