Writers in Residence
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The Centre's selection process is overseen by an independent panel, guided by its commitment to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and celebrating diverse voices.
"Reading and assessing this year's applications was an enormous privilege for the selection panel," says Melanee Winder, selection panellist and Chair of the MKWC Trust. "We were energised and impressed by the quality of writing across a wide variety of projects."
Emma Neale, a 2025 recipient, reflects: "I am enormously grateful for the way my time at the centre encouraged and catalysed my new project. The centre should be treasured by all Aotearoa writers and lovers of literature."
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The Michael King Writers Centre is proud to support 18 New Zealand writers through its 2026 residency programme, hosted at the historic Signalman's House in Devonport, Auckland. Selected from over 150 applicants across fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama and writing for children, this year's recipients are:
Anne Kayes, Cassie Hart, Cello Forrester, Chris Tse, Claire Baylis, Connie Buchanan, Emma Hislop, Gina Butson, Jordan Hamel, Josie Shapiro, Kirsten McDougall, Kirsty Powell, Liv Sisson, Rebecca Hawkes, Sarah Ell, Sue Wootton, Trina Elkington-Ball, and Vincent O'Malley.
For eligibility, stipend and accommodation details, see About our Residency Programme.
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For a list of our alumni from 2005 to 2026, by first name see here.
Since the Centre opened in 2005, over 200 New Zealand writers have held supported residencies, with international residencies added from 2013 in association with the NZ China Friendship Society and Varuna House, NSW.Alumni include Eleanor Catton (final draft of The Luminaries, 2012), Whiti Hereaka (Kurangaituku, 2017) and biographer Rachel Barrowman, alongside Poet Laureates Vincent O'Sullivan, David Eggleton and Ian Wedde, and writers Gina Cole, Roger Horrocks, Ashleigh Young, Josh Pomare, Jane Arthur and Pip Adam.
Use the filter to select by year.
William (Bill) Direen: 2010 University of Auckland Writers Residency
William (Bill) Direen is a writer and a well-known figure in New Zealand music circles. Originally from Christchurch and Dunedin, Direen has recently been living in Paris and previously spent several years in Berlin. He is best known as a poet and musician, but he has also written theatre scripts, l
Rachel Barrowman: 2010 Summer Writers Residency
Rachel Barrowman worked at the centre for eight weeks from early 2010. She is a Wellington-based writer and historian. She is the author of a number of works in the field of New Zealand cultural and intellectual history, including histories of the Alexander Turnbull Library and Victoria University o
Martin Edmond: 2010 Autumn Writers Residency
Martin Edmond held an eight-week residency from mid-March to May, also offered with the support of Creative New Zealand. Edmond was born in Ohakune and grew up in small North Island towns before studying in Auckland and Wellington. He spent five years touring internationally with the avant garde the
Bradford Haami: 2010 Māori Writers Residency
Bradford Haami was selected for the first ever Māori residency at the centre, for eight weeks from May. Based in Waitakere, Bradford Haami has written extensively about Māori history and culture, as well as being a documentary and drama writer, a director and producer, and a researcher at Te Papa in