The Mātātuhi Foundation announces funding for seven initiatives from writers, editors and organisations that will enhance or develop the literary landscape of New Zealand.

• Catherine Robertson: To pilot the use of audio QR codes to help readers ‘sample’ a New Zealand novel and remove a potential purchase barrier.
• Lily Holloway: To help produce Aotearoa's first online queer poetry journal, eel mag.
• Intermediate Writers Award Grant: To support the digital infrastructure of the awards process and encourage inclusion and participation by low decile schools.
• Pantograph Punch: To support the writing of a Feminism, Migrant and Diasporic Voices Essay Series
• Jack Cottrell and Melanie Dixon: To support the development of a flash fiction workshop series and anthology for youth.
• InsideOUT: To support InsideOUT's Out on the Shelves campaign that helps raise awareness of rainbow-identified New Zealand writers.
• Renee Jones: To support the research and development of a series of age-related books exploring Moriori life.

This is the seventh funding round for the Foundation, established by the Auckland Writers Festival in 2018. Its aim is to support the literary community with funding of up to $5000 for new literature-related initiatives.

Mātātuhi Foundation Trustee Peter Vial was impressed with the diversity evident in so many of the applications.

“These are all projects designed to promote and celebrate a diverse range of voices across Aotearoa’s community of writers and readers. We’re always looking for ways to expand the reach of the literary landscape and these projects will certainly help to achieve this goal.”

Up to ten grants are available each year across two funding rounds (May and October). Submissions must be made via the Mātātuhi Foundation website.

Grants to date have supported workshops, websites, podcasts, digital content, mentoring and community projects, including the mentoring of youth and emerging writers, creating an online bibliography of books available in te reo, and projects that celebrate and preserve our literary history.