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.
Barbara Sumner: 2024 Winter Residency
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
Liz Breslin: 2023 Winter Residency
Liz is a writer, editor and performer who has two poem collections, In bed with the feminists, part of which was winner of the Kathleen Grattan Prize for a sequence of poems 2020, and Alzheimer’s and a spoon, one of the NZ Listener’s Top 100 books of 2017. Liz’s poems can also be found in other plac
Gillian Candler: 2022 Winter Residency
Our tenth writer-in-residence for the year, Gillian is an award-winning children’s author. Her books include the popular “Explore and Discover” series about nature habitats. Her most recent book is New Zealand Nature Heroes: inspiration and activities for young conservationists. Gillian has a backg
Kate Duignan: 2021 Winter Residency
Kate graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from VUW in 2000. Her MA project was her first novel, Breakwater. Kate has also published short fiction, poetry and reviews for a variety of journals and publications including as Takahē, Landfall, Sport, The Penguin Book of the Contemporary New Zealan
Tina Makereti: 2020 Winter Residency
We welcome our 12th resident for the year – Tina writes essays, novels and short fiction. Her latest novel is The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke and, alongside Witi Ihimaera, she is co-editor of Black Marks on the White Page, an anthology that celebrates Māori and Pasifika writing. During her resid