News

Festival news, reading lists, programme announcements and the latest on our writers — straight from the team.

Hot pics from the WORD Christchurch Festival 2026 Programme Launch

Enjoy images from our 2026 programme launch event at Te Puna o Waiwhetū Christchurch Art Gallery.

Mānawatia a Matariki! Enjoy this whetū-aligned reading list

We’ve put together a reading list based on each whetū (star) in the Matariki cluster. Jump into timeless favourites, learn a bit more about te ao Māori, and enjoy some illustrated

Winter Warmers - WORD-y events in Ōtautahi this June

Winter Warmers - WORD-y events in Ōtautahi

2026 Festival dates announced

Herald the first week of spring with WORD this year

Summer Reading Stacks

The WORD team share their Summer reading piles

:-o A Spooky Reading List

Friend of WORD and festival trustee Dr Erin Harrington has shared with us this neat listicle of haunted, spooky books in time for Halloween. Read on, boils and ghouls!

2024 Te Wiki o te reo Māori - how can we learn more?

Brush up on your reo Māori with these online resources...

2024 - WORD in the media!

Festival highlights, across the internet

2024 Festival passes available now!

Keen to see as much of WORD as possible? Get yourself a Festival Pass!

The Ockhams shortlist is out!

The book awards season is here and many WORD Christchurch writers are in the running.

Our 2024 Programmers-at-Large

Tayi Tibble and Jordan Tricklebank bring their excellence to Ōtautahi Christchurch

Summer Read/Watch/Listen tips

Executive Director Steph Walker and Programme Director Kiran Dass offer up their tips for holiday consumption

WORD Christchurch Festival in the media

Check out some of the great coverage WORD artists got in 2023.

MISSED OUT? GET WORD ON-DEMAND AT HOME!

If you have festival FOMO or want to relive the joy, fear not, we've got you covered. You can now enjoy a handful of WORD festival events in the comfort of your own living room, wi

Programmer at Large Hot Picks: Catarina de Peters Leitão

Catarina shares her sessions and fills us in on her must-book events.

Programmer at Large Hot Picks: Melanie Dixon

Our Programmer at Large Melanie tells us about her sessions, and lets us know the other unmissable sessions.

Programmer at Large Hot Picks: Audrey Baldwin

Audrey runs us through the sessions she's programmed, plus her other picks not to miss.

Our Programmers-at-Large!

We are thrilled to introduce you to our three new Programmers-at-Large who will each bring their own perspectives and ideas to the WORD Christchurch programme. Nau mai, haere mai!

Changes for WORD in 2023

We farewell Nic Low and say kia ora to a new way of collective programming - exciting!

Flying Nun book launches at Lyttelton Coffee Company

NEEDLES AND PLASTIC: FLYING NUN RECORDS, 1981–1988 by Matthew Goody fittingly focuses on the Christchurch years of the infamous label

Ngaio Marsh Award winner goes global

Jacqueline Bublitz's debut novel released in the United States

WORD 2022 FESTIVAL - DONE!

It was so great to have a full, real-life festival experience with you all

2021 Ngaio Marsh Awards winners revealed

Books exploring subjects from wartime nationalism to sexual violence, terrorism to one of New Zealand’s most infamous cases, scooped the 2021 Ngaio Marsh Awards on Saturday night.

A WORD ABOUT KEEPING US ALL SAFE

Safety is paramount in these unsettling times, and we want to offer our audience, writers, volunteers and staff peace of mind. We have a number of policies in place because we care

NGAIO MARSH FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

From journalists hunting justice to communities upturned by sudden violence, the authors of the 2021 Ngaio Marsh Awards finalists explore the motives and impacts of some of the sta

WORD CHRISTCHURCH FESTIVAL RESCHEDULED

The WORD Christchurch Festival, due to take place in August, has been rescheduled. New dates have just been announced: 10 – 13 November. Watch this space for the revised programme,

LOCKDOWN LISTENING

Kia ora. It's Rachael here. I am going to tell you about something that got me through Lockdown last year, and I hope it will help make the next few days better. Read on...

NZ WRITERS AT CHELTENHAM

The programme for the Cheltenham Literature Festival in England has been launched and we are thrilled that WORD is participating!

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY

We couldn't be more pleased to once again be partnering with the University of Canterbury with our shared vision of telling stories and highlighting important issues. We invited on

WORD WRITERS SCOOP AWARDS

It's been a week of literary awards in New Zealand, with the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror and the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Ad

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORD Christchurch is keeping a close eye on updates from the Ministry of Health and will be following all alert level protocols. We will keep you updated via newsletter, our webs

Are you a writer? Here are the amazing hands-on events and workshops WORD has created for you in 2021.

WORD Christchurch Festival 2021 offers a range of exciting events for all of you writers out there, from aspiring to experienced, including poetry, fiction, memoir and editing work

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Te Papa Tupu – Welcome

Te Papa Tupu is The Māori Literature Trust's mentoring programme for aspiring Māori writers, awarded biennially to six people who have a complete manuscript and are working towards

GUEST CURATORS: AJ FITZWATER & DAISY SPEAKS

We welcome two talented Christchurch writers as guest curators – who bring their knowledge of festivals and the New Zealand literary landscape, and their unique voices, to add some

INTRODUCING THE FARAWAY NEAR

Introducing The Faraway Near: our custom digital venue that has the intimacy of a night at the pub with friends – and a favourite writer. Featuring international guests Helen Garne