Top of The South NZSA

21/09/2026

Kia ora koutou, the deadline for the te reo Māori category of the Te Tauihu Short Story Awards has been extended to 11.59pm on Sunday 4 October. Karawhiua!
For the past four years, our Te Tauihu Short Story Awards have welcomed entries in both te reo Māori and English, with equal prize money up for grabs in both categories: First prize - $1000, Second prize - $500, Third prize - $330.
Details and entry form:
https://www.nzsa-topwriters.org/2026-te-tauihu-short-story-awards.html

20/09/2026

The NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize is awarded for new writing with a ‘unique and original vision’. The two books that are recent winners of the prize, Susanna Elliffe’s Patron Saints of Roadkill and Tracy Farr’s Wonderland, fit this to a tee. In this workshop, Susanna and Tracy will look at how writers bring a unique and original vision to the page and the power of making it strange – from upending historical facts, to playful and powerful use of language, to the downright surreal – and then they'll let you loose! A workshop not to be missed by two of Aotearoa New Zealand's best.

ONLY 20 SPACES AVAILABLE. Don’t delay, find out more and book today at https://events.humanitix.com/make-it-strange-workshop-for-writers

16/09/2026

Kia ora koutou, we're halfway through Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, which takes place from 14-20 o Hepetema, and what better way to celebrate than to enter a short story written in te reo Māori? For the past four years, our Te Tauihu Short Story Awards have welcomed entries in both te reo Māori and English, with equal prize money up for grabs in both categories: First prize - $1000, Second prize - $500, Third prize - $330. Find out more and enter at https://www.nzsa-topwriters.org/2026-te-tauihu-short-story-awards.html Wakatū Incorporation Whakarewa Te Whānau o Motueka

14/09/2026

Entries for the 2026 Te Tauihu Short Story Awards close 20 September!
Details and entry form:
https://www.nzsa-topwriters.org/2026-te-tauihu-short-story-awards.html

08/09/2026

We can't wait to read your words!
Entries for the 2026 Te Tauihu Short Story Awards close 20 September.
Details and entry form:
https://www.nzsa-topwriters.org/2026-te-tauihu-short-story-awards.html

03/09/2026

Where will your words transport us?
Entries for the 2026 Te Tauihu Short Story Awards close 20 September.
We can’t wait to read your story!
Details and entry form:
https://www.nzsa-topwriters.org/2026-te-tauihu-short-story-awards.html

01/09/2026

It's the first day of Spring and we're delighted to introduce the second of our two English shortlisting judges, Grant Smithies. Grant is a writer, critic and reviewer who has written extensively on music, travel and popular culture over the past 30 years, with his journalism appearing in most major magazines and newspapers in New Zealand and several overseas. More recently, he has written short fiction, which has been published in literary journals in America and the South Pacific. He is the owner of Family Jewels Records in Whakatū Nelson. Like his fellow shortlisting judge, Grant is also chairing at Pukapuka Talks event at this year's Nelson Arts Festival. In 'The Clean: In the dreamlife' he will be speaking with journalist and poet Richard Langston about his definitive story of the band that pioneered a low-fi, do-it-yourself approach to rock music and helped establish independent music label, Flying Nun Records. [Find out more by following links in comments below!] Don't forgot: there's ONLY 20 DAYS UNTIL ENTRIES CLOSE (just before midnight on Sunday 20 September)

31/08/2026

Entries to the 2026 Te Tauihu Short Story Awards are beginning to flow into our inbox. With only 21 days until entries close (just before midnight on Sunday 20 September) we thought we'd introduce you to the first of our two English shortlisting judges, Sylvan Thomson. Sylvan Thomson is a writer of fiction and non-fiction. He has taught creative writing at the University of Michigan. His fiction and essays have been published in New Zealand and the USA. As well as being a judge/assessor for this year's short story competition, alongside Grant Smithies, Sylvan is chairing the 'Big Worlds in Short' Pukapuka Talks event at this year's Nelson Arts Festival, a panel discussion featuring Tina Makereti, winner of the General Non-Fiction Award at the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for her essay collection, This Compulsion in Us, alongside award-winning Filipino-Kiwi essayist Joseph Trinidad about his debut essay collection, Lucky Creatures. [Find out more by following links in comments below!]

31/08/2026

Interested in indie publishing? Then don't miss this fab webinar the NZSA Northland Branch is offerining.

The NZSA Northland branch has a new webinar on the horizon!

Alison writes historical romances, historical mysteries and short fiction. Her books have been published by commercial publishers, but she also publishes independently. She has a fascinating story to tell about her journey through traditional publishing and why she publishes her own books as well. You can do both! (Or either.)

The Northland Chair, Sherryl Clark, will be interviewing Alison in this webinar, asking all sorts of questions about how, why, when and what, but we’ll have an audience Q&A as well, so you can ask your own questions about her publishing and her books.

Find out more about Alison and her books at https://www.alisonstuart.com

🗓️ Wed 9 Sept 2026
🕰️ 7.30pm
📍 Online

Join on Zoom – we will also record the session for those who enrol and pay but can’t make it on the night.

$NZ10.00 for NZSA members, $NZ15.00 for non-members.

🔗 in comments

26/08/2026

'My Alice' by Jillian Robinson won First Prize in the 2024 Te Tauihu Short Story Awards.
What story will you tell?
Entries for the 2026 Te Tauihu Short Story Awards close 20 September.
We can’t wait to read your story!
Details and entry form:
https://www.nzsa-topwriters.org/2026-te-tauihu-short-story-awards.html