Writers + Kōrero

True Stories told Live

Join Michael Bennett for a fun, fast-paced tour through the writing toolbox of an acclaimed screenwriter, using short films, music videos, and excerpts from great movies to explore some of the most important fundamentals of storytelling for the screen.

Michelle Duff’s Surplus Women explores power and patriarchy. Airana Ngarewa’s Pātea Boys delivers stories grounded in masculinity, place, and what it takes to survive. Chaired by Sunday Star-Times Short Story Award winner Fiona Sussman.

What draws us to crime, psychological thriller, and suspense stories and what do they reveal about the deepest parts of ourselves?

Ali Mau (author of No Words for This) and Sonia Orchard (author of Groomed) examine what happens when the people you trust most betray you and shine the light on what needs to change for justice to prevail. Chaired by Dr Nikki Evans.

A once-in-a-lifetime storytelling experience!

Dr Hinemoa Elder’s new book, Ara: A Māori Guidebook of the Mind, is a quest through the caves of hinengaro and a resource for anyone seeking comfort and ease amid the chaos of life. Chaired by Annie Fay.

What is it really like to work in the news media? Join Ali Mau and Michelle Duff to learn more. Chaired by fellow journalist Naomi Arnold.

Discover how a restless working-class girl from the pā became a founding member of Ngā Tamatoa, the Women’s and Gay Liberation movements, and an essential voice in protests across Aotearoa. Chaired by Donna McLeod.

Iconic Māori activist, artist, and performer Tāme Iti shares his extraordinary life, defined by resistance, resilience, and rangatiratanga.

Set in a sinisterly skewed version of England, Catherine Chidgey’s astonishing new novel, The Book of Guilt, is a story told through the eyes of Vincent (one of three identical triplets) and the lonely but observant single child, Nancy. Claire Mabey, who will lead the kōrero, describes it as both a page-turner and deeply serious work.

Damien Wilkins won the prestigious Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction for Delirious, a captivating tale about families and ageing, which follows ex-cop Mary and her husband Pete, a retired librarian, as they navigate life’s big transitions. Chaired by Elizabeth Knox.

Possibly the first book to emerge from ‘live, disrupted TED-style talks’, Jo Randerson’s Secret Art Powers is a guide to using creative thinking to achieve radical change. In conversation with Meg Williams.

Chelsea Winter’s new cookbook Nourish heralds a joyful return to what established her recipes as household favourites – now reimagined with balance and a deeper intention to truly nourish.

Tiahuia: A Karanga to My Mother is artistic director and choreographer Merenia Gray’s tribute to her mother Tiahuia Te Puea Hērangi, the whāngai daughter of Princess Te Puea. Facilitated by Donna McLeod.

How do reviews work? What makes a great one – a piece of literature in itself?

Journalist and author Naomi Arnold’s first-ever published magazine story was a Listener travel piece on Thailand and she has made writing about people and place her career ever since, with her most recent book, Northbound, largely written while she walked Te Araroa.

Hear from Naomi Arnold – who set off to walk from Bluff to Cape Reinga – and Rebecca Hayter – who swapped city life for country living and a career immersed in yachting for the land. Chaired by Samantha Gee.