From a UNESCO City of Music to a UNESCO City of Literature, the 12 writers who will take up residence at an historic cottage in Dunedin between late 2025 and early 2026 have been confirmed.

The Robert Lord Writers Cottage Trust has been a haven for authors for decades, with the likes of Claire Mabey, Ruby Macomber, Sam Brooks, Albert Belz, Emma Hislop, Nathan Joe, Fifi Colston, Mere Whaanga, Paula Green, Linda Tyler, Vincent O’Sullivan having worked on their highly regarded mahi at the Cottage over the last 22 years.

That list has grown with Cromwell landscape poet Ella Borrie and Wellington based academic Anna Jackson to both work on new collections of poetry, North Shore-based writer Gina Butson to work on an environmental thriller set in Antarctica, Whangerei’s Janine Williams to add to her middle-grade fantasy novel series, while Munich-based, Dunedin-born multi-disciplined creative Helen Varley Jamieson will work on a book that draws on her experience in creating cyberformance and Ruapehu-based author Hazel Phillips is focussing on a narrative history of early women climbers and adventurers of Aoraki Mount Cook and Aotearoa-born Jewish artist and writer Casey Carsel to progress and revise their experimental short story collection.

In the performance space, Proudly Asian Theatre Company co-founder Chye-Ling Huang combines with scientist and storyteller Geoff Bonning to work a political climate play set in Dunedin, Tāmaki Makaurau playwright Nuanzhi Zheng will be developing a multimedia theatre piece and Wellington’s Jack McGee is working on a full-length play.

Already announced and locked in for their residencies are Auckland Pride Praise the Lord playwright in residence Joshua Iosefo (Mush) – in a year-long residency consisting of development and writing opportunities for a queer playwright – and NZYWF 2025 Young Writer in Residence, Ōtepoti-based writer and performer Nick Tipa.