2026 NZSA mentorships awarded
We are pleased to announce the 13 emerging writers who have been selected for The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa 2026 Mentorship Programme.
The Judging panel of Dr Paula Morris (convenor), Cassie Hart and Philippa Werry commented: 'We were impressed with the number of applications and the range of projects they represented – including historical, crime and speculative fiction, children’s and young adult fiction, multi-genre works, poetry collections and memoirs. Many of our writers are working on books with much potential, and it was difficult to narrow the list to just 13 mentorships.
We encourage applicants who were unsuccessful this time to keep working on their craft, and to take advantage of all the resources the NZSA offers.'
The 2026 mentees are emerging writers with unique voices and we congratulate: Vivienne Bailey (Paraparaumu), Cassandra Barnett (Waikato), Angela Barnett (Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland), Catherine Bennett (Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland), Michelle Cheever (Upper Moutere), Marcus Hobson (Aongatete), Margaret-Mary Hollins (Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland), Annelies Judson (Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland). Philip Luke (Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta | Upper Hutt), Jemma Richardson ((Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington), Lisa Stanley (Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland), Kirsteen Ure (Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland), and Kirsty Wadsworth (Ngāmotu | New Plymouth). Photos and bios of the mentees.
The writers will spend the rest of 2026 refining their skills and working on their craft under the mentorship of some of New Zealand’s finest professional writers. Each mentee will be matched with an experienced writer for their mentorship, selected from a curated list of industry mentors. Find out more about the NZSA Mentor Programme.
The NZSA Mentorship programme is offered every year by the NZSA to foster and develop emerging writers to hone their craft with the support of established practitioners. The NZSA has run its highly successful mentoring programme for writers since 1999. The NZSA Mentor programme is made possible with funding from Creative New Zealand.
For further information and for media enquiries: Jenny Nagle, Chief Executive director@nzauthors.org.nz | 09 3794801 | authors.org.nz