THE 2026 SCHOOLS PROGRAMME WILL TAKE PLACE:

TUESDAY 12 – THURSDAY 14 MAY 2026, AOTEA CENTRE

DETAILS OF THE SCHOOLS PROGRAMME HŌTAKA KURA WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON 11 FEBRUARY 2026. BOOKINGS WILL OPEN ON THE SAME DATE.

Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki was delighted to deliver the 2025 Schools Programme with the generous support of the Freemasons Foundation. Through this programme we hope to inspire young writers and readers and celebrate the love of story.

THE WRITERS FEATURED IN THE 2025 SCHOOLS PROGRAMME WERE:

Anton Clifford-Motopi (Australia) - Author, educator and researcher in Indigenous health

Scotty Cotter (Aotearoa NZ) - Acclaimed playwright, actor and director

Antony Elworthy (Aotearoa NZ) - Author, illustrator and animator for film and

television

Saraid de Silva (Aotearoa NZ) - Author, podcast co-host and theatre maker

Stacy Gregg (Aotearoa NZ) - Winner of the 2024 Margaret Mahy Book of the

Year Award

Per Gustavsson (Sweden) - Award-winning illustrator and author

Ruby Macomber (Aotearoa NZ) - Poet and co-manager of Te Kāhui

Steph Matuku (Aotearoa NZ) - Author for children and young adults

Michel Mulipola (Sāmoa/Aotearoa NZ) - Comic book artist and story artist for Disney

Animation

Lee Murray (Aotearoa NZ) - Multiple award-winning speculative fiction writer

Airana Ngarewa (Aotearoa NZ) - Bestselling novelist and educator

James Russell (Aotearoa NZ) - Bestselling children’s author

Neal Shusterman (US) - Acclaimed author of young adult fiction

Lemn Sissay (UK) - BAFTA-nominated, international prize-winning poet and author

Anders Sparring (Sweden) - Author, comedian and screenwriter

Jessica Townsend (Australia) - New York Times bestselling author

Harriet Walter (UK) - Esteemed actress of the screen and stage

Our Schools Programme is proudly supported by

PRINCIPAL PARTNER

PLATINUM PARTNER

GOLD PARTNERS

YOUNG AUTHORS CHALLENGE

SILVER PARTNER