Kupu Festival

01/05/2026

Nau mai te whetiwara! Save the dates!

We are thrilled to announce that we will be holding a three-day Māori Writers Festival in Rotorua this year to allow for more sessions, more catch-ups over kai, and time to meet your favourite authors!

Keep an eye on our social media for further updates.

01/12/2025

🌟 We are taking KUPU in new directions! 🌟

We are taking KUPU on an exciting journey with plans for a published pukapuka, indigenous author exchanges, more writers' retreats, pop-up festivals around the motu, and opportunities for YOU to champion Māori storytellers by sponsoring our kaupapa. 😍

We will, of course, still hold our annual KUPU Māori Writers Festival in Rotorua in October, so watch this space.

For more info, contact [email protected] or keep an eye on our feed for further details of upcoming events! You can also sign up to our newsletter at kupu.org.nz

Here's to a jam-packed 2026! 🎉

21/10/2025

'Ultimately, I came away with a profound respect for the tikanga of this special festival. Is there any other hui ahurei in Aotearoa right now with more heart, more verve, more ambition than this one? I doubt it.'

Thank you for this epic, beautiful write-up on The Spinoff, Stacy Gregg! We are really moved by your kupu.

We also want to do a special shout-out to our other main organiser, Rafael Moreira, who did SO much mahi behind the scenes to ensure the success of this festival (he also created our awesome website!).

If you didn't make it to the 2025 edition of KUPU Festival, sign up for our newsletter at kupu.org.nz or follow us on socials to see our upcoming events...we have writers' retreats, pop-up festivals and a 2026 edition planned for next year! 🤩

Two writers report back from two different festivals on two islands over the same weekend.

19/10/2025

Every voice adds to the story of KUPU.

As KUPU 2025 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect.

Your experience and insight will help us refine what we do and continue uplifting Māori storytelling.

Tell us what resonated, what surprised you, and what you’d love us to build next... and be to win a $100 vouchers from Booksellers NZ to be spent on your favourite independent bookshop.

Take our short survey on our website www.kupu.org.nz

19/10/2025

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa i tae mai ki te pō gala o Kupu

19/10/2025

Kua mutu kē te rā whakatā o KUPU 2025! He mutunga kē mai o ngā kōrero, ngā toi, me te wairua o te iwi. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa!

18/10/2025

Inapō i tū mātou Kupu gala ki Te Rau Aroha, ā, he mihi nui ki a Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao mō tā rātou whakaaturanga whakamīharo

18/10/2025

Hei Korowai Kupu – A Cloak of Words.
Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku, facilitated by Maiki Sherman

18/10/2025

Kupu ki te Pepa, Hei Koha – Words to Paper as a Gift.
Mairātea Mohi, Pania Tahau-Hodges and Jasmine Sargent, facilitated by Peter Dowling

18/10/2025

Hei Tuku Iho – Stories for the Next Generation.
Qiane Matata-Sipu, Stacy Gregg and Paula Morris, facilitated by Maiki Sherman