About us

The Queenstown Writers Festival is a growing literary festival run by a charitable trust and lots of volunteer power.

Each year on the first weekend of November we put on an unmissable event for anyone who loves books, words and insightful conversation.

Since 2018 we’ve brought contemporary literary talent to our mountain town and showcased the impressive creatives in our unique community. It’s about bringing readers, writers, viewers and listeners together to celebrate stories and ideas – from Aotearoa and beyond.

Through author conversations, workshops, panels, performances, and writing competitions we hope to inspire the people of the Queenstown-Lakes and beyond to revel in the written word.

The Queenstown Writers and Readers Festival Charitable Trust

Tanya Surrey

Tanya Surrey is a Queenstown lawyer specialising in criminal law and is involved in the arts scene in the Wakatipu community. She has a life-long love of books and is delighted to be leading the team bringing the Writers Festival to Queenstown.

Chris Fitzpatrick

Chris Fitzpatrick has taught primary, secondary and adult students, and has a special interest in enhancing the literacy skills of students and teachers. She says reading helps her relax while opening her mind to different people’s worlds and ideas.

Debbie Jamieson

Debbie Jamieson has been a journalist in Queenstown and Central Otago for over 20 years. She has run the area’s Stuff newsroom since 2011 and was editor for the Mirror newspapers, twice taking them to the finals of the NZ Media Awards.

Jennifer Smart

Jen Smart is a creative consultant and freelance writer with a background in education. She likes to read as widely as possible but does admit a soft spot for Latin American fiction, intergenerational sagas and anything to do with trees.

What drives us?

Manaakitaka

We warmly welcome festival guests and audiences to enjoy the quieter side of Tāhuna-Queenstown and help local storytellers access development opportunities and platforms to share their work.

Curiosity

We invite intellectual adventure and creative challenge.

Hope

We know that reading and sharing stories builds empathy, and are optimistic that literature can bring about positive change to the world.

Inclusion

We are committed to ensuring that the Festival’s programme represents the voices of tangata whenua and Queenstown’s diverse community, and that events are accessible across socioeconomic, physical and neurodiverse groups.

Join our supporter network

We rely on a generous group of funders, sponsors, patrons to bring an invigorating literary festival to Queenstown each year. Our sponsors enjoy significant benefits, including opportunities to connect their brand or message to a specific local audience. If you’re interested in becoming a festival sponsor, please contact us at [email protected] to discuss our bespoke sponsorship options.

Become a Patron

The support of our patrons enables us to bring nationally acclaimed writers and thinkers to Queenstown, and allows us to help local storytellers to share their work and access development opportunities.

The patrons for the 2024 Queenstown Writers Festival are: