2026 International Residency exchange with Australia - Recipients Announced
Media Release
08 April 2026
New Zealand’s national writer-residency organisation announces its
2026 International Residency with Australia
The Michael King Writers Centre in association with Varuna, The National Writers’ House in Katoomba, NSW, Australia is pleased to announce for the fifth time, a residency in Australia for New Zealand writers.
The writer awarded the residency will receive return flights to Sydney, three weeks accommodation and meals at Varuna and the opportunity to appear at the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival. The residency is from 12 October – 02 November 2026.
Applications open Wednesday 8 April and close Monday 27 April 2026. For the application form and more details see: https://writerscentre.org.nz/application-varuna-australia-residency-2026/
WHO CAN APPLY?
* We actively seek and encourage all writers - diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective - to apply.
* The residency is open to mid-career or established writers who have had a book published in the last two years.
An Australian writer will be selected to hold the reciprocal residency for three weeks in September at the Michael King Writers Centre in Auckland.
This International Writers Residency Programme is a partnership between the Michael King Writers Centre, Varuna, The National Writers’ House of Australia and the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival, Katoomba.
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Mel Winder says ‘The Michael King Writers Centre Trust is incredibly proud of the relationship we have with Varuna, The National Writers’ House. To enable a New Zealand writer to have the opportunity to focus completely on their writing and appear at the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival is very special, as is the opportunity for us to host an Australian writer at the Signalman’s house on Takarunga maunga in Devonport.
For more information on the exchange see Michael King Writers Centre Website.
MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Melanee Winder, MKWC Chair: E: Melanee.Winder@hachette.co.nz or M: 027 270 7014
For further information, please contact: Jan McEwen M: 0274 811 567 E: jan@writerscentre.org.nz