Writing to his own beat: David Coventry to take up residence at University of Waikato

For David Coventry, writing is an experience to be savoured. The award-winning author is the University of Waikato’s new Kaipukahu Writer in Residence and will spend 2026 on campus working on a new collection of short stories.

Dr Coventry’s short-story project is set in and around 1981, during the Springbok tour. Rather than looking directly at the politics and often familial battles between protestors and supporters, his stories will take a more oblique angle, focusing on the psychology of New Zealander at the time and the atmosphere of the country more broadly.

Many of the stories centre on characters who aren’t exactly oblivious to what is happening, rather they are the kind of people who would prefer to shut out the social and political unrest around them.

“About 15 years ago, I wrote a short story set in 1981 that explored this idea. It was later published in Landfall and that would normally be that, but the has story stayed with me for the past 15 years. So much so one day last year something clicked for me, that in fact the story was just a prelude to a bigger idea. That’s what it has turned into, which is quite exciting. I have many ways in which I’m going to attack the problem of describing that time of our history. Because it is problematic.”

Dr Coventry always knew he was meant to put words on a page.

“I left school really early because it just wasn’t working for me. I remember telling my girlfriend that I was leaving school and was going to become a writer. Looking back, I am like, that was utterly farcical. But it was the thing I wanted to do. It seems crazy now that, at that point in my life, I wasn’t even reading books. I was really into Bob Dylan, that was about as close as I got.”

Also, a musician, Dr Coventry is a guitarist and sound engineer who has worked with a range of bands, and he likens typing on a keyboard to the touch of a pianist at the keys.

“I’ve always been a little jealous of pianists, drawn to the beauty and expressiveness of what they do with their hands.

“My handwriting hasn’t improved since I was about six years old, it’s almost illegible.  I really don’t enjoy picking up a pen. It’s a horrible thing to do, but when I’m using both hands on a keyboard, it’s a real beautiful feeling.”

Dr Coventry lives with the effects of ME/CFS, more commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome, a neurological condition that affects him daily. Its impact ranges from occasional slurred speech to cognitive incapacitation, to the careful way he must organise his time and energy.

“I’ve written four novels and completed a PhD while living with it,” he says. “When I’m able to write, I tend to work very quickly, which helps make up for the long periods when I can’t write at all. I’ve always had the ability to produce a large amount of work in a short time when the words are flowing.”

Dr Coventry, who hails from Wellington, is shifting to Waikato, where he hasn’t spent too much time.

“My main kind of memories of Hamilton are in dark and dingy bars, playing shows or sound engineering, mixing gigs. I’ve managed to get a house out in Raglan for the time so it’s going to be an adventure, which is exciting.”

He is looking forward to spending time on campus, with a couple of guest lectures already in the calendar.

“Students would be more than welcome to come and have a chat any time they spot me on campus, that’d be nice.”

University of Waikato Associate Professor in Creative Writing and accomplished author Catherine Chidgey is pleased to have Dr Coventry as a writer in residence.

“I’m thrilled to welcome David Coventry to the University of Waikato as our Kaipukahu Writer in Residence. He is an important and fearless writer, and this new collection of short stories, delving into a dark chapter of Aotearoa’s history, feels both timely and vital.

“It’s precision and emotional depth were clear in the sample David submitted, which absolutely knocked the socks off our selection panel. Having a writer of his calibre on campus this year is a rare and exciting opportunity for our students and the wider community.”

ENDS