• New Human Rights Commissioner responds to concerns over hate speech protections

    Posted on 11 June 2018

    Paula Tesoriero: We strongly support right to freedom of speech 11 Jun, 2018 Rights are not absolute and they do not exist in isolation. Photo / 123RF NZ Herald By: Paula Tesoriero I am concerned at recurring speculation that the Human Rights Commission is campaigning to limit free speech. Those who hold this view say we […]

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  • CHRIS ELSE IS NZSA PRESIDENT OF HONOUR 2018-2019

    Posted on 8 June 2018

    The NZSA is delighted to announce that Chris Else is their 2018-2019 President of Honour.  This prestigious position is bestowed on a senior writer and long-serving member in recognition of his or her contribution to writing and writers and the literary arts sector in New Zealand. As President of Honour, Chris Else will deliver the annual Janet […]

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  • NZSA Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship 2018

    Posted on 7 June 2018

    $10,000 Opportunity for Writers. Calling for applications from writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama with a literary track record, who are currently working on a new project. This annual Fellowship is awarded each year to a mid-career or senior writer to work on a project that shows a high level of literary merit and […]

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  • FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2018 NEW ZEALAND CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS

    Posted on 6 June 2018

    A bumper crop of excellent books for young New Zealand readers have today been announced as the 33 finalists in the 2018 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.   From sharks and dawn raids to earthquakes, kidnap plots, Jean Batten and the familiar chaos that is kids at breakfast time, their range […]

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  • Queen’s Birthday Honours for Deborah Challinor

    Posted on 5 June 2018

    Deborah Challinor has been made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature and historical research. She was this country’s highest-selling author in 2015, 2016 and 2017. “It was a real shock as I opened the letter,” the 59 year old said of the moment she discovered she was being […]

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  • Siobhan Harvey – President of the New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) – annual AGM address

    Posted on 30 May 2018

    T?n? koutou, t?n? koutou, t?n? koutou katoa Talofa lava As President of the New Zealand Society of Authors, I welcome you to our 2018 AGM and Development Weekend, ‘TURNING THE PAGE’. A veritable feast of workshops, panel sessions, discussions, ideas and meetings with fellow writers await you tomorrow. I want to humbly thank The Auckland […]

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  • 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Shortlist announced

    Posted on 24 May 2018

      Twenty-four outstanding stories have been selected by an international judging panel from 5182 entries from 48 Commonwealth countries. The writers come from 14 countries including, for the first time, Samoa and Ghana. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction in English from the Commonwealth. As well […]

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  • New Zealand Book Council launch READNZ campaign #readNZ

    Posted on 21 May 2018

    ReadNZ campaign 2018 Our books matter. Our authors and their stories are world-leading. ReadNZ is a campaign to get more of us reading books written by New Zealanders. New Zealand books reflect the rich social and cultural history that has shaped us as a nation. There is a special joy in reading about ourselves, and […]

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  • Twenty-five-year-old debut novelist wins inaugural Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel

    Posted on 19 May 2018

    Ruby Porter is the winner of the 2018 Michael Gifkins Prize for her remarkable novel, Attraction. Porter receives a publishing contract with Text and a NZ$10,000 advance against royalties. She accepted the award this afternoon at the Michael Gifkins Prize party held during Auckland Writers Festival week. The present reckons with the past in Attraction. Porter’s unnamed narrator […]

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  • Recognising the importance of our arts, culture and heritage

    Posted on 17 May 2018

    Thursday, 17 May 2018, 2:22 pm Press Release: New Zealand Government Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Recognising the importance of our arts, culture and heritage Budget 2018 lays the foundations for a significant programme of work that highlights the essential role the cultural sector plays in the wellbeing of our society, […]

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  • OCKHAM NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT

    Posted on 16 May 2018

    Pip Adam wins premier book awards’ $50,000 prize A novel which judges say ‘will bring readers back from the dead’ has won the 2018 $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize in the country’s premier book awards. Wellington writer Pip Adam received the honour for her novel The New Animals (Victoria University Press) at the glittering Ockham […]

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  • English Pen event: Celebrating Nelson Mandela: His Letters, His Legacy

    Posted on 14 May 2018

    PENmandelaletters To mark the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth on 18 July and the publication of The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela (Liveright) on 10 July, English PEN is holding an evening of readings with very special guests on 17 July. Taking place at the Union Chapel in London, the event features letters by Nelson Mandela from […]

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