NZSA Kaituhi Māori Mentorship Programme
The Kaituhi Māori Mentor Programme gives emerging writers who whakapapa Māori the opportunity to work closely with an acclaimed Māori writer as their mentor to hone their tuhituhi ability and, in the process, evolve and refine an original work made without generative AI, toward a publishable state.
We welcome kaituhi who write in te reo Māori and/or te reo Pākehā, in the genre of fiction or short fiction, on any topic(s). We welcome kaituhi of all ages – from rangatahi to kaumātua.
Over a period of up to six months, this programme provides opportunities to discuss ideas and issues – practical and editorial – and benefit from the experience, mōhio and mana of experienced kaituhi Māori. It is designed to help aspiring kaituhi Māori develop further skills to sustain and strengthen them throughout their future career.
Modelled on a tuakana-teina relationship, this kaupapa aims to offer a safe and supportive space for emerging kaituhi to develop their craft; gain encouragement and accountability, along with substantive feedback.
As well as mentorship, part of this programme is to provide constructive suggestions for the refinement of a work in progress.
This programme aims to support the amplification of Māori voices, Māori stories, and ultimately see greater publication and performance of these works.
There were four (4) mentorships for kaituhi Māori available annually.
Hear Witi Ihimaera talk about the 2025 programme on Radio NZ on March 3, HERE
Hours of Engagement
Mentors give 25 hours for mentorships over a period of six months.
Some of these hours are for the mentor to read and write critiques. The remaining hours are for communication with the mentee to kōrero and work through issues and ideas, provide practical and editorial advice, and share the benefit of their experience, mōhio and mana.
Mentoring can take place either kanohi ki te kanohi, by telephone, zoom, email or a combination thereof.
There is also the opportunity to meet as a rōpū, either online or kanohi ki te kanohi, with other mentees and mentors, to kōrero, ask pātai, remedy common issues in the writing process and gain from the richness of collective experience and expertise. It is also an opportunity for emerging writers to meet and connect with other emerging writers. At the commencement of each mentorship, once the all-important fit/chemistry/wairua of the mentee and mentor relationship has been confirmed, they will together make a plan setting out the best way to engage and communicate.
Timeline
Applications for this programme open in late February each year and close April 10. Application Form Here
Once applications close, they are sent to a selection panel who then decide on the recipients. Applicants will be notified within 4-6 weeks of the result.
The mentorship will commence in May when the mentee-mentor match is confirmed and introductions are made. The mentorship then ends on/by 1 December 2025.
Mentors
Our register of mentors consists of acclaimed Māori writers. We are also open to contacting kaituhi who are not on our current register to see if they are willing to be involved in this kaupapa.
Our mentors for 2025 are:
Cassie Hart
Rohe: New Plymouth
Genre: Sci-fi, fantasy (including urban fantasy, paranormal romance, magical realism, etc), horror, anything that is a mash of these things, with or without romance elements. Any length, excluding short story collections and poetry.
Website: just-cassie.com
Cassie Hart is a multi-award-winning Māori (Kāi Tahu, Makaawhio) speculative fiction writer who enjoys delving into human nature in all its beauty and disarray. In 2022 her tradtional debut, Butcherbird, won Best Novel for the Sir Julius Vogel awards, and in other years she has been an SJV winner in a range of categories, as well as a Hugo and Australian Shadow Awards finalist. In 2018 she was selected as one of six emerging Māori writers to participate in the Te Papa Tupu incubator programme, where she worked on Butcherbird, a supernatural suspense set under the watchful gaze of Mount Taranaki. Butcherbird released from Huia in August 2021. As well as self-publishing a range of novellas and novels, Cassie has co-edited three short story anthologies, worked as a freelance editor for almost a decade, and is always looking for new ways to collaborate with others.
Emma Hislop
Rohe: New Plymouth
Genre: Fiction
Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe) lives and works in Ngāmotu. Her first book of short fiction, Ruin, was published in March 2023 with Te Herenga Waka University Press and won the Hubert Church Best First Book of Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Writing and interviews can be found online and in magazines and journals including The Māori Literature Trust, The Listener, Metro, E-Tangata, The Spinoff and The Pantograph Punch. In 2024 she was the recipient of a Springboard Award. She has a Masters in Creative Writing. Emma currently works as a researcher for the Māori Literature Trust, writing mentor, and workshop convenor for Faber Writing Academy. She is working on a novel. instagram.com/her_slop/
Steph Matuku
Area: New Plymouth
Genre: Children/Young Adult, Fantasy/Sci-fi
Website: www.stephmatuku.com
I am an award-winning writer from Taranaki with a particular interest in writing for young people – picture books through to Young Adult. Several of my books were shortlisted for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and/or listed as Storylines Notable Books.
My screen credits include ‘Mystic’, ‘Shortland Street’, ‘Secrets at Red Rocks’, and ‘Under the Vines’.
I like to give my mentees tips, tricks and motivational hacks to get through those early drafts. I’m a big believer in outlining, planning and story structure, and creating a solid foundation to write entertaining, authentic stories that connect with readers.
Kiri Piahana-Wong
Area: Whanganui
Genre: Poetry
Website: https://www.anahera.co.nz
Kiri Piahana-Wong (Ngāti Ranginui, Chinese, English) is a poet, editor and publisher. She founded Anahera Press in 2011. Anahera’s most recent publication is Standing on my Shadow by Serie Barford; previous authors include Apirana Taylor, Arihia Latham, Ben Brown and Leilani Tamu. As a poet, Kiri’s work has appeared in over forty journals and anthologies, including Essential NZ Poems, Poetry NZ, Landfall, Takahē, Dear Heart: 150 New Zealand Love Poems, A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices from Aotearoa New Zealand, Vā: Stories by Women of the Moana, Koe: An Aotearoa ecopoetry anthology, and internationally in Set Me On Fire: A Poem For Every Feeling (Doubleday, UK). She is the author of two full-length poetry collections, Night Swimming (AP, 2013) and Tidelines (AP, 2024). Kiri is the co-editor of Te Awa o Kupu (Penguin NZ, 2023), an anthology of contemporary Māori literature, as well as Short! Poto! The big book of small stories (MUP, 2025), and she was the editor of three editions of the Māori literary journal Ora Nui. Kiri is passionate about poetry, decolonising literature, indigenous voices and breaking down barriers for marginalised writers. She also loves nature writing, food memoirs and romance novels.
Vaughan Rapatahana
Eligibility
This programme is open to all kaituhi who whakapapa Māori, ie not just those who are members of NZSA.
Successful applicants will not only secure a mentorship, but will also receive a year’s free membership to the NZSA. For existing members, their membership will be extended for an additional year gratis.
To apply
To apply, simply fill out the application form HERE and pay the application fee of $20.
Desired outcomes
Desired outcomes from this mentoring programme are that kaituhi:
- utilise skills and awareness to self-critique their work;
- work through the various drafts on their own to produce publishable work;
- have confidence in their ability and worth as kaituhi;
- have learnt and gone some way towards honing the techniques of writing;
- have a project that is approaching a publishable quality;
- develop tools and techniques that will assist them throughout their writing career;
- gain a better understanding of the publishing industry;
- achieve stated goals more easily;
- connect with cohort of kaituhi Māori mentees and mentors
Fineprint
The decision of the selection panel is final, and it is not able to provide feedback on individual applications not awarded a mentorship. If any applicant contacts a member of the selection panel with regard to this programme their application will not be admissible. We thank you for your understanding.
Tips on the correct format for writing samples:
- Use a plain font. (Black, 12-point, Times New Roman, Ariel or similar are ideal.)
- Use standard A4 page size with wide margins on all sides
- Set alignment to left justified
- Use a single space after full stops
- Use double-spaced line spacing
- Format paragraphs according to genre standards. (Fiction authors usually use indented paragraphs. Nonfiction authors may opt for no indentation so long as paragraphs are separated by a full paragraph break.)
- Number your pages
Ngā pātai?
If you’ve any queries re this programme, please don’t hesitate to contact the Kaiwhakahaere Hōtaka o Te Kāhui Māori, who would be glad to help.
The launching of the NZSA Programme for kaituhi Māori in 2024 was made possible with the support of Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
Ngā mihi nunui ki a rātou.
