He pānui, he angitu | News and Opportunities

Show All Awards Book reviews by Bronwyn Wylie-Gibb Call for Submissions Cities of Literature Projects City of Literature South D Poet Lorikeet Competitions and Prizes Conferences Fellowships & Programmes Festivals Funding and Grants In the News Octagon Poetry Collective Recent Books and Reviews Residencies Workshops and Seminars Write Spot with OAR FM

Call for Wonju UNESCO City of Literature Residency 2026

Spend eight weeks in South Korea, at the Toji Cultural Centre - Applications close 31 May 2026

Posted: Thursday Apr 16, 2026

Lysiak-Rudnytsky Ukrainian Studies Programme

Submission Deadline: April 29, 2026

Posted: Wednesday Apr 15, 2026

Poetry Shelf Breathing Room:

Robert Sullivan

Posted: Wednesday Apr 15, 2026

'Reaper' by Vanda Symon (Orenda Books, 2026)

Out now!

Posted: Wednesday Apr 15, 2026

Poetry Night in Dunedin - 8 April 2026

Poet and Octagon Poetry Collective committee member extraordinaire, Mac MacDonald, shares highlights from their latest p...

Posted: Wednesday Apr 15, 2026

Hoake ki te Taiao City Nature Challenge

Join Wild Dunedin for this global bioblitz and help showcase the ‘Wildlife Capital of New Zealand’ to the world.

Posted: Tuesday Apr 14, 2026

That big house up on the hill...

Olveston: Portrait of a Home by Jane Ussher and John Welsh (Massey University Press, 2025)

Posted: Tuesday Apr 14, 2026

Win a Luxury Weekend for Two!

You and a friend could experience #AWF26 in style with this amazing prize:

Posted: Monday Apr 13, 2026

Poetry Shelf Playing Favourites

Cilla McQueen picks ‘Quark Dance’

Posted: Friday Apr 10, 2026

Artist. Rebel. Founder.

Honouring Phantom Billstickers founder, Jim Wilson

Posted: Thursday Apr 09, 2026

You only have a handful of chances left to see The Red Dragon at the Playhouse Theatre!

This show is a beautiful fairy tale and a great way for kids to experience live performance these holidays.

Posted: Thursday Apr 09, 2026

Look up, Dunedin

The Beverly-Begg Observatory is opening its doors for Wild Dunedin Festival, and you are invited to explore the night sk...

Posted: Thursday Apr 09, 2026

Applications are open for the Michael King Writers Centre 2026 Australian Residency

Monday 12 October to Monday 02 November 2026 - Applications close on Monday 27 April

Posted: Thursday Apr 09, 2026

That’s a wrap on Dunedin Fringe Festival for 2026

11 days, 90+ events, 35 venues, 74 artists/groups from across NZ, 56 locally produced events, 18 international artists, ...

Posted: Thursday Apr 09, 2026

Poetry Shelf Breathing Room

Grapefruit by Claire Beynon

Posted: Thursday Apr 09, 2026

Throwback Thursday at the Playhouse!

Here is Shannon Colbert, who played Lee in the 1983 production of The Red Dragon, along with this year's two lovely Lee ...

Posted: Thursday Apr 09, 2026

Linking up in Dunedin

Poet Helen Williford-Lower at Caselberg House, St. Brigid’s School and South Link Productions Studio

Posted: Thursday Apr 09, 2026

Today on Write Spot

Enjoy this wide-ranging and sparkling conversation between Rob Tigeir and playwright Nuanzhi Zheng, current Robert Lord ...

Posted: Wednesday Apr 08, 2026

City of Literature inspires poetry at Port Chalmers School

The Dunedin City of Literature team had a lively September. As part of Book Week celebrations 2025, a group of enthusias...

Posted: Wednesday Apr 08, 2026

2026 John O’Connor Award shortlist announced

Huge congratulations to our very own Michelle Elvy

Posted: Wednesday Apr 08, 2026

As told by The Clean

Journalist and poet Richard Langston had loved Dunedin band The Clean for decades and knew there should be a book. But h...

Posted: Tuesday Apr 07, 2026

OooOooH be careful, heroes!

Join the story of The Red Dragon, at the Playhouse Theatre until Sunday 12 April. Shows are at 11am and 2pm daily (2pm o...

Posted: Tuesday Apr 07, 2026

Poetry Shelf Breathing Room

See What a Little Moonlight Can Do to You by Hone Tuwhare

Posted: Tuesday Apr 07, 2026

Read NZ Book Review - The Terrible Trio: The (not so) Superheroes by Swapna Haddow (Scholastic, 2025)

Reviewed by Claire Cheeseman, Teacher, Laingholm Primary School, Auckland

Posted: Tuesday Apr 07, 2026

Read NZ Book Review: Everything But The Medicine by Lucy Hagan (Massey University Press, 2025)

Reviewed by Petra Verbeek Deputy Principal Hamilton Christian School

Posted: Tuesday Apr 07, 2026

'Layers of Identity' - Celebrating the Voices of Ōtepoti’s Rangatahi

The City of Literature team, in partnership with Otago Access Radio (OAR FM), is thrilled about the upcoming release of ...

Posted: Tuesday Apr 07, 2026

Centre for Medical Humanities Research Dissemination Grants

Applications open 15 April and close 31 May

Posted: Thursday Apr 02, 2026

Submissions are currently open for Starling Issue 22!

Submissions close Friday 10 April

Posted: Thursday Apr 02, 2026

Applications are invited for the 2027 Robert Burns Fellowship

Applications are open until Monday, 1 June 2026.

Posted: Thursday Apr 02, 2026

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie - Popular Culture, Cinema, and Gender

Edited by Hilary Radner and Rebecca Stringer (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026) - available now for pre-order, launching in May...

Posted: Wednesday Apr 01, 2026

Julia - Not now, not ever. One speech. Millions of voices

Dunedin season coming September 2026!

Posted: Wednesday Apr 01, 2026

Introducing the UNESCO Cities of Literature Fellowship

Fellowship period: 1 August 2026 – 30 June 2027. EOIs close: 9am AEST, 7 April 2026

Posted: Wednesday Apr 01, 2026

Dunedin Fringe Awards 2026

Warmest congratulations to all 2026 Dunedin Fringe Festival winners and nominees from the Noisy Fringe Awards Night, esp...

Posted: Tuesday Mar 31, 2026

Young Minds Shine at Dunedin Kids’ Lit Quiz

Warmest congratulations to the winners and all participants in the Kids' Lit Quiz held at Dunedin North Intermediate on ...

Posted: Tuesday Mar 31, 2026

Pictura Children’s Book Shop have reopened!

Find out more and check out their incredible online range here:

Posted: Tuesday Mar 31, 2026

Journal for a String Mountain

What if the gold needs to stay in the ground?

Posted: Tuesday Mar 31, 2026

The Red Dragon, Playhouse Theatre - 4th - 12th April 2026

The Red Dragon hits the stage at the Playhouse Theatre this weekend.

Posted: Tuesday Mar 31, 2026

Otago Settlers News

Check out this 'Book News' snipped from the Summer 2025 Otago Settlers Association Newsletter, edited by Austin Gee.

Posted: Tuesday Mar 31, 2026

Poetry Shelf Monday Poem

Clearing by Emma Neale

Posted: Monday Mar 30, 2026

2026 John O’Connor Award longlist announced

Huge congratulations to the 2026 John O’Connor Award longlist, and a special shoutout to our very own Michelle Elvy!

Posted: Monday Mar 30, 2026

To Write or Not to Write by Ruby Appleby

I have been telling stories for as long as I can remember, but I was nine when I started writing them down.

Posted: Monday Mar 30, 2026

Call for submissions

Toitoi: A Journal for Young Writers and Artists will publish a new journal in 2026. Submission deadline is 3 July 2026.

Posted: Monday Mar 30, 2026

The Red Dragon, Playhouse Theatre - 4th - 12th April 2026

What secrets and characters will Lee and Jen the Monkey find on their journey to the home of the Red Dragon? Find out at...

Posted: Friday Mar 27, 2026

New Zealand Festival of Nature 10 - 19 April 2026

Easter break is just around the corner, and with the April school holidays are coming up fast, keeping the kids entertai...

Posted: Friday Mar 27, 2026

The Poetry Shelf Breathing Room

Magnetic South by Sue Wootton

Posted: Friday Mar 27, 2026

Poetry Shelf Playing Favourites

Kay McKenzie Cooke chooses two Vincent O’Sullivan poems

Posted: Friday Mar 27, 2026

From Iowa City to Ōtepoti: A love letter to the Dunedin sound

Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature executive director John Kenyon reflects on discovering Dunedin’s music in the 1990s ...

Posted: Friday Mar 27, 2026

Techweek is back for 2026!

Dunedin will once again take part in Techweek from 18–24 May, joining a nationwide celebration of technology and innovat...

Posted: Thursday Mar 26, 2026

Meet Amir and Azlan, your new hosts of Chill-lah with OMSA!

Hosted by the Otago Malaysian Students' Association (OMSA), the show takes you on a journey through their experiences st...

Posted: Thursday Mar 26, 2026

Today on Write Spot

Dr Susan Wardell previews the launch celebrations for the new Centre for Medical Humanities at University of Otago.