WORD Christchurch: Six authors' recommendations

WORD Christchurch 2025 takes place from the 27th to 31st of August. More than 100 writers, thinkers and performers from Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond will flood Ōtautahi Christchurch, bringing a feast of new ideas, fun nights out, captivating stories and powerful performances to the city.

With over 50 events, there’s something for everyone. We asked six authors from Aotearoa who are attending the festival to tell us what they’re looking forward to, both at their own session and another that they’re going to see.

Here’s what they said:

Catherine Chidgey

I can’t wait to chat with the extraordinary Kate Camp about my novel The Book of Guilt. Kate and were in the creative writing course together at Victoria University in 1995, and it’s been a joy to share our writing with each other as it’s evolved and deepened over the decades. Having her ask the questions will be a real treat – she knows my recurring themes and obsessions inside out, and her wit and insight will make for a lively conversation.

I’m also looking forward to the session on Gentle Fiction with Damien Wilkins and Laurence Fearnley – two writers I’ve admired for years (in fact, Damien taught the course Kate and I took). Their prose is a masterclass in the art of restraint – it thrums with a quiet emotional power that leaves a lasting impression. And I want to see Book (Fight) Club with El Jaguar!

Rachel Paris

I will be in conversation with the wonderful Morrin Rout on Friday at 4.30 pm about my debut psychological thriller, See How They Fall, which is described as Succession meets Big Little Lies in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. We will be chatting about character, craft and the path to publication.

I am also part of Tom Sainsbury’s Reading Enthusiasts’ Soirée (Thursday at 8pm) which will be a totally unhinged chat with Tom, Kate de Goldi and Josiah Morgan about the dark underbelly of our reading lives. Slightly nervous about that one!

There are too many amazing authors from Aotearoa at WORD to choose only one other session, so tied for first place are Kate Evans and Naomi Arnold on writing obsession (Saturday at 10.30am) AND Catherine Chidgey and Michelle Duff, alongside Aussie queen Charlotte Wood, in conversation with Kerry Sunderland (Saturday at 12.00 pm). I cannot wait.

Roimata Smail (Ngāti Maniapoto, Tainui, England, Scotland, Ireland)

At WORD Christchurch, I’ll be hosting Te Tiriti for Beginners—a mini-workshop at The Piano that offers a welcoming kōrero to unpack the history, meaning, and ongoing impact of Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document. Based on my bestselling pocketbook Understanding Te Tiriti, it’s for anyone curious about Te Tiriti, whether it’s your first time diving in or you’d like a clear refresher.

I’m also looking forward to Indigi-Joy, where Dominic Guerrera, Ariana Tikao, Juanita Hepi, and Tina Makereti will kōrero about finding and sharing joy in their work. Writing Understanding Te Tiriti has been one way I’ve stepped outside my legal work as a human rights lawyer to do something more creative, and it has been really fun. I'm really interested to hear what they have to share about their experiences.

Jessica Hutchings (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Huirapa, Gujarati)

Pātaka Kai: Growing Kai Sovereignty is a call to action to restore foodways and food systems back into the loving hands of Indigenous and Māori communities. It is about returning to grow food in the footsteps of our ancestors. In my session I will share the politics of seed, soil and food sovereignty in Aotearoa and highlight some of the inspiring stories of Māori and Pacific food communities re-indigenising food systems again. This book was a collective effort over three years of kaupapa Māori research with amazing, vibrant and diverse Māori food communities in Aotearoa and across the Pacific. This session runs on Sunday at 2.30pm.

I am excited to attend the Indigi-Joy session, I love the title. At a time in Aotearoa where Māori are being harmed and our language belittled by the Government the notion of Indigi-Joy is healing within itself - we all need some Indigi-Joy to heal from the daily attacks against Māori that we are facing.

Naomi Arnold

My friend, colleague and co-author Kate Evans and I are currently pondering what burning questions we’re going to ask each other at our Tūranga session Epic Adventures. I admire Kate for her thorough, award-winning science writing, storytelling and strong sense of community, so I’m looking forward to picking her brain in front of an audience.

As for other sessions, I have never seen Diana Wichtel speak live and she was someone I loved reading growing up, so I’m looking forward to hearing from her, not just on her writing but also all the changes she’s seen in the media over the years.

Duncan Sarkies

I'm excited about performing I'd Love To Have A Beer With Duncan, reading excerpts from my alpaca allegory Star Gazers with a free pre-show beer and audience-chosen content. Like ordering from a foreign menu, you don't know what you'll get: acrid revenge, voter fraud, or an alpaca with Berserk Male Syndrome. No-one knows, not even me. Expect some laughs—someone once said after my show, 'I laugh with my legs in the air and my legs were in the air the whole time.'

A treat I must see is Dame Anne Salmond, Knowledge is a Blessing. Anne has hugely inspired me. Working on The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium, we obsessively read her The Trial of the Cannibal Dog and Aphrodite's Island, phenomenal books about first contact between cultures. Can we give her another damehood? Dame Dame Anne Salmond—a force of goodness, and she stands up to bullies.

Find out more at https://wordchristchurch.co.nz/