Writers Week Events

July has a rare ability to pin down people's faults, frailties, and eccentric compulsions, rather than squirm from them – and then to make us love them anyway.
The Independent
Miranda July: Lost Child!

Miranda July: Lost Child!

Writers Week 09 Mar

Lost Child! is a New Zealand premiere, and a one-off, just like award-winning film-maker, writer and artist Miranda July - maker of hit film Me and You and Everyone We Know.
As gripping and engrossing as the best medical drama, only with the added piquancy of being entirely true
The Daily Mail
Henry Marsh: Do No Harm

Henry Marsh: Do No Harm

Writers Week 08 Mar

Neurosurgery “has met its Boswell”, Ian McEwan said of Henry Marsh and his bestselling memoir Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, andBrain Surgery. Enjoy a unique glimpse into his world. 
Winchester does a virtuoso job. ... A giant Aladdin’s rug, which he then gamely invites his readers to climb aboard.
The New York Times
Simon Winchester: Pacific Future

Simon Winchester: Pacific Future

Writers Week 10 Mar

With 25 books to his name, British writer Simon Winchester is a maven of popular narrative history, renowned for titles such as The Map that Changed the World.

Take a day off for your mind

Do something for yourself and take Friday 11 March off work. Come with an open mind, leave with a buzzing brain. Be inspired by top international writers and speakers talking on a range of topics. Grab yourself this new one-day pass. 

Grab a pass now

Up your Arts with a multi-pass

All passes give you a place at the front of the queue with the full Writers Week programme delivered to your letterbox or inbox and a preferential booking period from 29 January until 4 February. Full booking details can be found on our Writers Week Booking Information page.

Bookmark Pass

The ultimate pass offering 15 tickets to Writers Week sessions at the Embassy and Bats theatres, with 36 events to choose between. Or use your pass for multiple tickets to each event, so you can share the experience with someone else.
Buy a Bookmark Pass

Take Five Pass

A great little deal offering five tickets to Writers Week sessions at the Embassy and BATS theatres.
Buy a Take Five Pass

Friday Off Work Pass

A whole day to free your mind. Pass includes six sessions at the Embassy and BATS theatres, plus a free coffee and a packed lunch.
Buy a Friday Off Work Pass

A message from The Lion Foundation

The New Zealand Festival has become an integral part of the Wellington community and we at The Lion Foundation are extremely proud to once again play our small part.

We live in a diverse and eclectic country where music, literature and the other arts help us celebrate what it means to be uniquely Kiwi.
On behalf of The Lion Foundation Team and our local Wellington venue operators, I hope everyone enjoys the 2016 Festival and in particular Writers Week.

Murray Reade

CEO, The Lion Foundation

The Lion Foundation

A message from Victoria University of Wellington

Writers Week is a place of conversation, discovery and illumination. A single live reading by a writer can make you a lifelong fan. An idea floated into the audience from the stage or from the audience to the stage can change your thinking.

Victoria University of Wellington is proud to support the New Zealand Festival and Writers Week once again in 2016.

We are also delighted that our own talented staff, students and graduates are involved in contributing to this year’s fantastic line-up of events.

Damien Wilkins

Director, International Institute of Modern Letters

Victoria University of Wellington

Writers Week's other supporters

Wellington City Council
Creative New Zealand
QT Museum Wellington
Australian High Commission
Embassy of France
Embassy of Israel
Goethe Institut
Embassy of the United States of America
New Zealand Listener
Health Quality and Safety Commission
National Library of New Zealand
Playmarket
Circa Theatre
New Zealand Book Council
Royal Society of New Zealand

Writers on the Road supported by
NZ Community Trust
Official Bookseller
Unity Books

With additional support from

Arts Access Aotearoa, Booksellers New Zealand, British High Commission, City Gallery Wellington, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, The Golden Dawn,  Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Trust, New Zealand Society of Authors, Genetics Otago,  Richard Pointon Rugs, Tautai Pacific Arts Trust, Weta Digital, WORD Christchurch and Crucial Colour.