Kerrin is our final writer-in-residence for the year.  She has published five collections of poetry (all with Te Herenga Waka University Press, Wellington, NZ) with the latest Hoof, published October 2023. She has also had poems published in a wide range of journals both in NZ and overseas including

Kerry is an Australian-born writer who moved to New Zealand in late 2012 and now calls Aotearoa home. She is based in Te Tauihu, the top of the South Island, where she has been the curator of the Nelson Arts Festival’s literary programme since 2018.Kerry has a MA in Creative Writing from Victoria

Isla (Te Āti Haunui a-Pāpārangi, Uenuku) is a te reo Māori teacher and kaituhi from Ōtautahi.Her debut collection of poetry, Talia, was released in May 2023 by Dead Bird Books, and was shortlisted for the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2024.Her wo

Jason (Ngāpuhi) is an author, epidemiologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago (Wellington campus). He has been a public health researcher for the past 15 years, and is the director of the Cancer and Chronic Conditions (C3) Research Group.  Jason’s

Michelle is an award-winning writer and journalist from Te Whanganui-a-Tara. She was the winner of the 2023 Fiction Prize from the International Institute of Modern Letters. Her journalism has appeared in Aotearoa and internationally, including in The Guardian, Stuff, New Zealand Geographic, The Mel

Ashlee (Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is a writer of creative fiction and non-fiction, a health coach, educator and community volunteer.  She holds a Master of Creative Writing and has published short stories in a number of collections.Ashlee is a busy mama who combines her skills and pas

Jack (Ngāti Rangi) is a queer short fiction writer who currently lives in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara. His debut flash fiction collection Ten Acceptable Acts of Arson and other very short stories was published in 2021 by Canterbury University Press. This manuscript won the 2020 Wallace Foundation Prize and

Our 10th writer-in-residence for the year, Hannah is a Wellington-based writer who completed her Masters in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters in 2024. She has previously been a 2020 NZSA Youth Mentorship Award recipient, the 2021 winner of the Maurice Gee Prize in Chi

Andrea (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa, Ngati Pakeha ) is the author of The Vanishing Point (Ultimo Press, 2023) a historical fiction novel exploring the enduring potency of a famous painting: artist Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas (1656). She co-authored (with Priscilla Pitts) Undreamed of: 50 Years of the Fr

Our 8th writer-in-residence for the year, Ash is a writer, editor and reviewer from Te Whanganui-a-Tara. They are the author of two collections of poetry, most recently How to Live With Mammals (Te Herenga Waka University Press, 2021), which won second place in the Laurel Prize. Their work has been

Marianne attained a Masters degree and PhD in History from the University of Auckland, and a MA Performing Arts from Middlesex University, London.  She held the Keith Sinclair Scholarship in History at the University of Auckland. She is the author of two books; Performing Indigenous Culture on Stage

Tina, our sixth writer-in-residence for the year,  is a novelist, short story writer and editor. Tina has received many awards for her work, including the CNZ Berlin Writers Residency, the University of Waikato Writer-In-Residence and the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship in Auckland. She won the 2

Matariki (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Hauiti, Taranaki, Ngāti Whakaue, Te Atihaunui-a-Pāpārangi) is a doctoral candidate, curator, writer and editor in the arts and cultural sector. She is the Visual Arts Director for Kia Mau Festival and previous roles include as Senior Historian, Mātauranga Māori at the Min

We have welcomed Sue as our fourth writer-in-residence for the year and is working on a new novel – she has a masters in creative writing with first-class honours from the University of Auckland. Sue is a novelist, short story writer and poet, as well as a reviewer, editor, manuscript assessor, spee

Sam is the Assistant Curator of the New Zealand Cartoons and Comics Archive at the National Library of New Zealand, and a working comic artist. He has developed comic resources and contributed to publications and journals across the globe. Sam is particularly interested in inclusive and intersection

Emma is the author of six novels, seven collections of poetry, and a collection of short stories. Her sixth novel, Billy Bird (2016) was short-listed for the Acorn Prize at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards and long-listed for the Dublin International Literary Award. Emma has a PhD in English Liter

Kirsteen holds our first residency for the year. Based in Tāmaki Makaurau, she has a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Auckland and her short stories and creative non-fiction have been published in Landfall, ReadingRoom, Takahē, Headland and in various collections. During her reside

Hinekura is a Māori woman, educator, weaver, researcher and mother who descends from the Far North iwi of Te Rarawa and Nga Puhi in Aotearoa New Zealand. She has over 27 years experience in Māori education, beginning her career with 12 years as a te reo Māori secondary school teacher before moving i

Sam is an artist and writer from Te Whanganui-a-Tara, now at home in Māwhera.  He has published two collections of poetry with Te Herenga Waka Press, People from the Pit Stand Up and Party Legend and will soon be unveiling a third.  During his MKWC residency he will be working on a book about his im

Joy, our 13th resident for the year, lives in Pōneke. Her debut collection of short fiction Dream Girl was published by Te Herenga Waka University Press in 2023. She completed her MA in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters in 2020. Her writing can be found in journals an

While at the Michael King writers centre Barbara  will be working on the final draft of The Mystifications, a slightly true novel about a mystery cult, a daughter who hides her power, an omniscient dog, and an astral-travelling widow with problems of her own. Her new novel, The Gallows Bird was rele

Darryn (Ngati Maniapoto) is a Palmerston North-based academic, writer and papa of three. He has written in te reo Maori short stories, board books, picture books, chapter books, and textbooks. Darryn holds a PhD written in te reo from Massey University and his doctoral dissertation on kipeha, figure

Craig, our tenth writer-in-residence, is the author of the novels Nailing Down the Saint and The Mannequin Makers, and the story collection A Man Melting, which won the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book. In addition to fiction, Craig has published poetry, essays and reviews, been

Claire is the founder of literary organisations Verb Wellington and LitCrawl Wellington. She is co-curator of the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts’ writers programme, and is the books editor at The Spinoff. She lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara with her partner Andrew and son, Charlie.Her firs

Hazel, our eighth Writer-in-residence for the year, is the author of three books: Solo: Backcountry adventuring in Aotearoa New Zealand (MUP, 2022); Wild Westie (Penguin, 2014), a biography of Sir Bob Harvey; and Sell! (Penguin, 2013), a history of the advertising industry. She holds an MA in Media

Fijian writer Daren Kamali is a poet, writer and musician, creative arts youth worker and mentor. He cofounded the South Auckland Poets Collective in 2008. Daren serves as Heritage Pacific Advisor to Auckland Libraries and he currently works with Na Tolu – The Three; an artist collective formed by h

Vasanti writes, illustrates and designs books for ages, four to forever. Her picture books have sold around the world and won numerous awards. Vasanti is an Arts Foundation Laureate (2021) – awarded for her book illustrations. The Boring Book (2013) won book of the year at the NZ children’s book awa

Dani, our fifth writer-in-residence for 2024 is a wellington-based writer of poetry, essays, scripts and short fiction. They completed their Masters of Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters in 2021, and their debut collection, Transposium, was published by Auckland Univer

Tehnuka (she/they) is a Tamil tauiwi volcanologist born and raised in Ōtautahi, and living in Kirikiriroa. She has over thirty short stories, poems, and essays published in magazines and anthologies. Her stories have been highly commended in the NZ Sunday Star Times short story contest and shortlist

Sonya is an award-winning writer, reporter and producer and is the founder and Executive Director of the children’s charity Kiwi Christmas Books. She was a broadcast journalist for more than 20 years, reporting and presenting for shows such as 20/20, Breakfast, One News and Sunday, before completing