Country of Focus
Aotearoa and the Great Ocean
Beginning in our sixtieth year, we are initiating a new part of our regular programming – a country or region of focus within the Indo–Pacific. In a time of restricted travel, journeying in the mind is all the more vital. And seeking out a diversity of perspectives from our nearest neighbours on all the important issues of our day is critical for the maturity and balance of our own public dialogues.
Our inaugural program focuses on the literature and storytelling traditions of some of our nearest neighbours of the Pacific – Aotearoa/New Zealand and the island nations of the Great Ocean.
Program highlights include the extraordinary literary talents of former poet laureate of New Zealand Selina Tusitala Marsh in Word Play Online, award-winning poet Tusiata Avia in conversation with Maxine Beneba Clarke, celebrated academic and psychiatrist Hinemoa Elder, Te Reo expert and cultural champion Stacey Morrison, and the delightful Wellington-based spoken word poetry collective Show Ponies at the Metro Theatre.
Dive into the rich and vibrant poetry and writing of Melanesia with Black Salt. Hear the lyrical, urgent voices in Aotearoan poetry in the Land of the Long White Cloud Showcase. Explore storytelling traditions beyond the written page in Weaving on the Terrace and Ta Moko on Māori tattoo.
Reacquaint yourself with three of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s past literary greats through the lens of contemporary writers Christine Leunens, Miro Bilbrough and more on Katherine Mansfield, J.P. Pomare on “Queen of Crime” Ngaio Marsh, and Pip Adam on the inimitable Janet Frame.
Discover new writers, great stories and the beautiful words of the Pacific.
Country of Focus / Word Play Online
Confidence, Creativity and Culture
Special Event
Show Ponies
Regular
Black Salt
Country of Focus / Regular
Long White Cloud Poetry Gala
Country of Focus / Special Event
Weaving on the Terrace
Country of Focus / Regular
Ta Moko
Country of Focus / Regular
Subversions: Janet Frame
Online Program / Country of Focus
Yas Queen
Country of Focus / Online Program
The Rise and Rise of Indigenous Publishing
Online Program / Country of Focus
Great Ocean Oratures and Digital Territories
Online Program / Country of Focus
Decolonising through Design
Country of Focus / Regular
Prelude: Katherine Mansfield
Country of Focus / Regular
Sedition or Surrender
Country of Focus / Regular
Diaspora Excellence
Country of Focus / Regular
Sea of the Song
Country of Focus / Free event
Island Stories
Country of Focus / Regular
A Life in Crime: Ngaio Marsh
Country of Focus / Regular
Lore
Country of Focus / Regular
Trans Bodies, Trans Lives
Country of Focus / Regular
Treaties: Negotiating Nations
Country of Focus / Regular
(un)Bite Your Tongue
Country of Focus / Regular
Food Sovereignty
Country of Focus / Regular
Queering the Narrative
Country of Focus / Regular
Love and Compassion in a Time of Crisis
Country of Focus / Regular
Let's Imagine the End of the World
Country of Focus / Regular
Women, Survival, Violence & the Law
Country of Focus / Regular
Hiakai (livestreamed)
Country of Focus / Regular
Embracing Complexity
Country of Focus / Special Event
All I Have is a Voice Poetry Showcase
Country of Focus / Regular
Missionary Position: Colonisation & Storytelling
Country of Focus / Regular
Let's Hear It for the Boys
Country of Focus / Regular
Queer AF in a Climate Crisis
Country of Focus
Maramataka - Look Up
Country of Focus / Free event
First Nations Writing in Australia and Aotearoa
Country of Focus / Regular
Don't Fence Me In

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