Summer Reading Stacks
The WORD team share their Summer reading piles
WORD Christchurch is a small team that make the city buzz each year with stories, kupu and ideas. We are hugely appreciative of our volunteers who are much needed in the lead up and during our events.
Volunteering with WORD is a flexible and rewarding way to gain experience, connect further with what we do, get involved in some extraordinary sessions, and to meet great people.
During the festival, you will work alongside other experienced WORD volunteers and a great production crew; we have some of Ōtautahi’s most talented events professionals. You’ll receive a festival pass, so you can attend other sessions in person for free during the week and complimentary tickets to any digital sessions.
Below are the main roles our volunteers play to help us run a smooth festival and other events throughout the year. Sometimes, we combine or mix them to suit each event and venue. The Volunteer Coordinator will help you match your skills and interests with available shifts whenever possible.
To prepare, we will ask you to attend a briefing session, and you will get a full job description. We have a dedicated Slack channel that you can join to meet the rest of the team, get updates, and ask questions anytime.
Admin & Marketing Assistant
Get to the heart of WORD when the excitement of the programme launch kicks in, and help us promote the festival far and wide. Assist the core team during this crunch time from June onwards.
Stage Manager Assistant
Things get busy behind the scenes before the doors open. You will assist the Stage Manager with the Green Room and act as a runner to support the SM’s busy schedule.
Front Of House Assistant
When we open the doors, things can get busy, and here is where you become the face of WORD. You will help our audiences to navigate the venue, get tickets and books.
Book Signing Coordinator
Never a dull moment when authors and audiences meet. Your role is to ensure our authors are well looked after, and the queues are stress-free.
Ushers
You will ensure that nobody is at the wrong place at the wrong time, that everyone finds a good seat and that they get the assistance they need to enjoy the session.
Q&A Assistant
You will play a vital role in ensuring there’s good communication between the audience and speakers on stage during Q&A sessions.
Special Event Assistant
Some events are so unique that they need special assistance. This is a hands-on role for those with initiative and who are happy to do a little bit of everything.
Schools Programme Assistant
This is a combination of all other roles. The sessions are truly fantastic, so if you have the chance and are available to help, you won’t regret it.
Workshop Assistant
Workshop facilitators will count on you to ensure everything is ready for them to run the workshop. You will have technical support from our crew when digital devices are needed.
Walking Tours Assistant
There is nothing like walking around the city, hearing and learning new things. You will assist the speaker and keep our audience safe as they enjoy the walk.
“This was my first time volunteering at the festival and I had a blast. It felt so organised and like a well oiled machine from a volunteer perspective. Everyone I met throughout my shifts were really approachable and friendly. Communication was great. I really look forward to being involved again in the future.”
“It was a great experience and [I] would love to do it again. I met lovely people, gained experience and met new friends. Great thing to be a part of.”
“Nice to know the ‘behind’ the scenes of a festival.”
“Loved it! Such a great festival, great team and such a great range of interesting events.”
“Very rewarding, enriching and inspiring.”
“Hats off to the resilient WORD team. You are an inspiration to the event industry. Your inclusiveness and caring approach is felt deeply by all volunteers…”
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!
Brush up on your reo Māori with these online resources...
Keen to see as much of WORD as possible? Get yourself a Festival Pass!
The book awards season is here and many WORD Christchurch writers are in the running.
Tayi Tibble and Jordan Tricklebank bring their excellence to Ōtautahi Christchurch
Executive Director Steph Walker and Programme Director Kiran Dass offer up their tips for holiday consumption
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, with your preferred refreshments and company at hand
Check out some of the great coverage WORD artists got in 2023.
Catarina shares her sessions and fills us in on her must-book events.
Our Programmer at Large Melanie tells us about her sessions, and lets us know the other unmissable sessions.
Audrey runs us through the sessions she's programmed, plus her other picks not to miss.
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!
We farewell Nic Low and say kia ora to a new way of collective programming - exciting!
NEEDLES AND PLASTIC: FLYING NUN RECORDS, 1981–1988 by Matthew Goody fittingly focuses on the Christchurch years of the infamous label
It was so great to have a full, real-life festival experience with you all
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.
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 about our community, and that means looking after our most vulnerable and all doing our bit. READ ON...
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 starkest criminal justice issues facing Aotearoa. Check out the finalists here.
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, out soon!
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 one of UC's many staff who are appearing at the festival, Jeanette King, to tell us what she's reading and what she's looking forward to at the festival.
The programme for the Cheltenham Literature Festival in England has been launched and we are thrilled that WORD is participating!
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...
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 Adults. We are thrilled to announce that WORD writers took out some of the top award categories in each.
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 website and social media. Our thoughts are with those affected by the latest COVID announcement.
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 workshops, and the chance to see yourself in print with our magazine in residence, takahē.
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 publication. It offers editorial guidance and mentorship, a stipend, and a community of writers. WORD extends a very warm nau mai, haere mai ki Ōtautahi to this year's rōpū.
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 extra spice to the programme. Read their 'what and why' here.
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 Garner, Ruth Ozeki, Helen Macdonald, Hari Kunzru, Tommy Orange, Ava Homa & Behrouz Boochani; A. C. Grayling and Mark O'Connell. Don't miss your chance to experience these innovative events!
Social Feed
wordchch
WORD Christchurch gets the city buzzing with books, ideas and kōrero. Next fest: August 2025 + events throughout the year
Respectful chat only please!