Pikihuia Awards will join KUPU 2025 at Te Puia, Rotorua

By Ōtepoti He Puna Auaha | Dunedin UNESCO City Of Literature | Posted: Monday Jul 14, 2025

KUPU and the Māori Literature Trust | Te Waka Taki Kōrero are thrilled to announce that the PIKIHUIA Māori Writer's Awards 2025 will be held in Rotorua for the first time on their 30th anniversary.

The announcement was made 11 July at Te Puia by the Māori Literature Trust and the KUPU Festival team — a partnership grounded in mana, collaboration, and the shared vision of strengthening Māori voices in literature.

‘We have been able to build a relationship with the Māori Literature Trust and Huia Publishers and for the very first time in the history of Pikihuia Awards it will be hosted outside of Wellington and we're so glad to be able to host it here in Te Arawa region. We're very excited about it, and it's going to fall at the tail end of the festival.’

— Ruakiri Fairhall, 2025 KUPU Kaihautū / Festival Director

KUPU 2025 Highlights:

Writers’ Retreat – Lake Ōkataina Lodge, 15–17 August

KUPU Festival – Rotorua, 17–18 October

Pikihuia Awards Ceremony – Te Puia, 19 October

Further details, including tickets, guest speakers, and the full programme, will be released over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, follow for updates:

– @kupufestival www.kupu.org.nz, on Facebook and Instagram
– @maoriliteraturetrust www.mlt.org.nz, on Facebook and Instagram