top of page
FBT2023 A.png

Programme
of Events

8-10 May 2026

FBT_BOOK ELEVEN_MASTER.png
Jump directly to our main page on eventfinda.co.nz:
preloader.gif
Filter
Reset Filter

46 items found

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

THE FISH'N'CHIP SUPPER


Friday 6pm–9pm, Anzac Hall, $55, cash bar


A Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival opening night tradition - the best fish'n'chips, a sensational speaker, and kapa haka from Featherston's tamariki. This year, Gilbert Enoka, All Blacks coaching legend and author of Become Unstoppable,  will have you on the edge of your seat with the story of his career  that spanned decades and changed the way we think about sport,  psychology, performance, and leadership.


Generously supported by Paul and Rosie Collins.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

DREAMLAND, WONDERLAND


Saturday 9.30am–10.25am, Kiwi Hall, $25


Triplets, amusement parks, and controversial scientists are at the heart of two Aotearoa novels longlisted for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Just one of these overlapping elements would have been an amazing coincidence, but all three is nothing short of astonishing. Mary McCallum talks to Catherine Chidgey and Tracy Farr about The Book of Guilt and Wonderland and attempts to unearth what feeds the fertile imaginations that dream up such wonders.


Generously sponsored by Sir Chris and Lady Kathy Parkin.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

WORKSHOP: LEARN TO WRITE GOOD WITH DOMINIC HOEY


Saturday 10am–11.55am, St Teresa's School, $70


Best-selling novelist, poet, small-dog owner, and hopeless romantic Dominic Hoey has run his Learn to Write Good workshops across Aotearoa since 2015. Now Dom is bringing his teaching talents to Featherston Booktown. Come and learn new writing practices, editing techniques, and more tools that will help you grow as a writer and serve you long after the workshop is over.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

IT'S IN THE BLOOD: MICHAEL & MATARIKI BENNETT


Saturday 10.30am–11.25am, Kiwi Hall, $25


We are what we inherit. Our family, whakapapa, and history influence who we are and what we do in ways we cannot fully fathom. Two incredible, genre-crossing writers, who also happen to be father and daughter, Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) and Matariki Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Hinerangi) will be in conversation with Claire Mabey to talk about writing as a family business, what children can learn from their parents, and, yes, what parents can learn from their children.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

ROCK ON WITH SACHA & JOSH!


Saturday 12pm–12.55pm, St Teresa's School, free


Come along for a performative reading of author Sacha Cotter and illustrator Josh Morgan's hopeful, multi-layered new picture book, A Guide to Rocks, which explores the challenges of expressing difficult and heavy rocks emotions. Finish the session with a hands-on, rock-inspired activity where you can collage out your feelings.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

TIME REIGNITED: WRITING THE PAST INTO TODAY


Saturday 1pm–1.55pm, Kiwi Hall, $25


Where do old lives go when we leave them behind? What secrets do we keep from ourselves? Is writing an act of memory? Three of Aotearoa's finest novelists, Airana Ngarewa (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Rauru, Ngāruahine), Dominic Hoey, and Josie Shapiro, will join Tracy Farr to tackle these thorny questions and discuss their newest books, all of which find different and unexpected ways to show the reader how our individual and collective histories always catch up to us, no matter how fast we run.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

A PRESS OF ONE'S OWN


Saturday 1.15pm–2.45pm, The Bakehouse Collective, $60


In this workshop, Cheryl Gallaway from Bower & Book Press will introduce you to the history of hand-set letterpress printing with a tabletop press, including general principles and typography. She will show you the art of hand-setting type, inking up, and then operating a tabletop press. Materials provided. Limited to seven, so book early!

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

RANGATAHI NATURE WALKS AND TALKS


Saturday 2pm–2.45pm, St Teresa's School, free


Inspiration can be found everywhere; you just have to look for it! Join acclaimed children's author Claire Mabey for this generative session. Claire will lead a nature walk through Featherston Paetūmokai, accompanied by writing exercises based on the wonders of the world around us. Limited to 15 participants.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

THE STATE OF THE FOURTH ESTATE: SURVEYING AOTEAROA'S MEDIA LANDSCAPE


Saturday 3pm–4.25pm, Anzac Hall, $30


As we find ourselves in the throes of an election year, in an increasingly crowded attention economy, at a time when the very notion of truth is constantly called into question, Aotearoa's media landscape is more crucial than ever. To parse that landscape, TVNZ's Māori Affairs Correspondent Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (Te Arawa, Rangitāne, Ngāti Porou), The Spinoff founder Duncan Greive, and former Newshub anchor and NBR Te Ao Māori Editor Mike McRoberts will join award-winning journalist and writer Michelle Duff for a conversation that's sure to be as revealing as it is electric.


Generously sponsored by Luke Pierson.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

STORYTELLING UNDER THE STARS


Saturday 7pm–8.30pm, Pae Tū Mōkai O Tauira Whare, 23 N Soldiers Settlement Road, South Featherston. Adults $25, Family (two adults and children 13+) $30, Children free


Join New Zealand authors Naomi Arnold and Annette Lees for an intimate conversation about walking in the dark and encountering nature beneath the night sky. Like meeting in a back-country hut after a long day's tramp, they'll share stories of wonder, memory, and the magic the dark reveals. Settle in with a hot chocolate, as if you've just arrived at the hut, and listen in. Suitable for ages 13+


Presented in collaboration with Wairarapa Dark Sky.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

ON THE COUCH: HANNAH KENT


Sunday 9.30am–10.25am, Kiwi Hall, $25


Award-winning Australian author and screenwriter Hannah Kent joins us in person for a special and intimate event. In this far-reaching conversation with Noelle McCarthy, Hannah will explore her memoir Always Home, Always Homesick, an exquisite love letter to a land that has forged a nation of storytellers. She will also reflect on her stellar career so far, which includes hit novels such as Burial Rites and Devotion, alongside the hit Netflix film Run Rabbit Run.


Generously sponsored by Sir Chris and Lady Kathy Parkin. Kindly supported by the Australian High Commission

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

BOOK-BOOK-BOOK


Sunday 10am–11.25am, Featherston School Hall, free


Three book-chooks, Giselle Clarkson, Juliette MacIver, and Ruth Paul, will engage tamariki in a fun, interactive story time featuring many avian creatures (and other ones as well). Come along and join in the fun.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

THE FAIRER SIDE OF BUXTON


Sunday 11.30am–12.25pm, Kiwi Hall, $25


Alfred Buxton was the father of landscape design in New Zealand. His rural gardens became creative outlets for the wives of the farmers who commissioned them, recreational spaces for their families, and meeting places for the community. Join Dr Clare Gleeson as she tells the story of a man who helped develop New Zealand's horticultural landscape through the lens of the women who supported and took pleasure in his work.


Generously sponsored by Helen & John Meehan.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

RANGATAHI NATURE WALKS AND TALKS


Sunday 1pm–1.45pm, St Teresa's School, free


Inspiration can be found everywhere; you just have to look for it! Join acclaimed children's author Claire Mabey for this generative session. Claire will lead a nature walk through Featherston Paetūmokai, accompanied by writing exercises based on the wonders of the world around us. Limited to 15 participants.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

THE CLEAN: IN A DREAM LIFE YOU NEED A RUBBER SOUL


Sunday 2.30pm–3.25pm, RSA, $25


The Clean profoundly changed alternative music: hitting the New Zealand charts with a single made for $50, 'Tally Ho!'; helping establish Flying Nun and the Dunedin sound; and pioneering a low-fi, DIY style that influenced bands like Pavement and Yo La Tengo. In his new book, Richard Langston delivers the definitive story of The Clean in their own words. Join Richard and The Clean's bassist and New Zealand rock royalty Robert Scott as they swap stories, memories, anecdotes, and even a song or two.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

A NIGHTMARISH WORLD: THE NEW ZEALAND DIVISION IN FRANCE IN 1916


Sunday 3.30pm–5pm, Kiwi Hall, $30


In the latest edition of our popular military history series, we reflect on the 110th anniversary of the New Zealand Division arriving in France after their brutal and bloody baptism on the Gallipoli Peninsula. In 1916, the division took part in the third big push of the pivotal Battle of the Somme. Nearly 6,000 men were wounded and more than 2,100 lost their lives. Join renowned military historian and author Chris Pugsley, creative director of Ngā Tapuwae Chris Hay, and professional historian and writer Buddy Mikaere (Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Ranginui) in conversation about New Zealand’s most costly engagement on the Western Front, moderated by Featherston Booktown Chair Peter Biggs.


Generously sponsored by Messines Bookshop: Military History

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

LATE NIGHT LIT: WHEN WE BECOME STARS


Friday 8pm–9.30pm, Supper Room, $30


Poetry  allows us to hold the infinite, if only for a moment. Come and  experience that moment with Aotearoa's finest, fiercest poets. Galaxies  will quiver, rally cries will echo, night owls will hoot and holler as  our old selves evaporate into dusk, making way for the new flesh. Emma Barnes, Matariki Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Hinerangi), Mary McCallum, and Robert Sullivan (Ngāpuhi, Kāi Tahu) will be wrangled by MC Jordan Hamel. Settle in with a drink under the cover of darkness as these brilliant bards break the silence of the long night.


Generously sponsored by Peter and Mary Biggs.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

BOOK-BINDING WORKSHOP


Saturday 9.30am–11.55am, St Teresa's School, $50


Back by popular demand, Robyn Ramsden shows you how to make a fourth-century Nag Hammadi codex. Her design is reusable and the leather will last long after you fill your notebook, and with her written instructions you can make your own at home. Materials supplied.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

PAPER-MAKING DROP-IN SESSION


Saturday 10am–11.55am, St Teresa's School Quad, koha


Come and enjoy making and learning about handmade plant paper. Rob Kennedy will guide you through the basics of paper-making and answer your questions about this ancient craft. Drop by in the morning for a casual, informal session. Prepare to get your hands wet!

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

CROSS PARTY LINES: LIVE!


Saturday 11am–12.25pm, Anzac Hall, $35


New Zealand's hottest new political podcast is coming to Featherston Booktown to record a live episode. Hosted by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Phil Goff, former Attorney-General Chris Finlayson, and the man in charge of keeping these former MPs in line, Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines proudly goes beyond the headlines, challenging the status quo and explaining our place in the complex geopolitical stage.


Generously sponsored by Christine Kernohan, honouring David Kernohan.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

POLKINGHORNE: INSIDE THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY


Saturday 12.30pm–1.25pm, Featherston School Hall, $25


Festival favourite Steve Braunias returns to take us on an extraordinary and chilling journey through one of the most high-profile murder cases in modern New Zealand history. Steve will be in conversation with RNZ's Susie Ferguson to offer his unique insight into the investigation, the trial, and the revelations that kept the New Zealand public transfixed.


Generously sponsored by Tessa O'Rorke and Tim Clarke.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

WORKSHOP: WRITING YOUR INNER CHILD WITH CATHERINE CHIDGEY


Saturday 1pm–2.55pm, Workshop Room, St Teresa's School, $70


Many of Catherine Chidgey's novels feature child narrators, from The Wish Child and Pet to The Book of Guilt(and, arguably, Tama Magpie in The Axeman's Carnival). In this workshop, Catherine will discuss how she created these characters and their voices, guiding you through a series of exercises to help you to practise writing your own child narrators as three-dimensional figures who ring true without sounding twee.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

THE SHAKY ISLES: THE NATIONAL SHIFT FROM 2017-2023


Saturday 1.30pm–2.55pm, Anzac Hall, $30


2017-2023 was one of the most momentous and unpredictable periods in our country's history - between Covid, the Christchurch terrorist attack, Jacindamania, He Puapua, the National Party's implosion, an unprecedented MMP victory, and more. How have those years shaped us? Join moderator Toby Manhire (The Spinoff) and a panel comprising former National Party Minister Chris Finlayson, Labour Party MP Duncan Webb, and political journalists Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (TVNZ) (Te Arawa, Rangitāne, Ngāti Porou) and Henry Cooke (The Post) as they discuss how where we've been informs where we're going.


Generously sponsored by the Wairarapa Company Inc and the Martinborough Hotel.


Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

ALCHEMY & ANNUNCIATIONS: THE POETRY OF MUSIC


Saturday 2.30pm–3.25pm, Featherston School Hall, $30


When music and words merge, they create an impact far beyond what either could achieve alone. Come and hear a stunning original work from composer Eve de Castro-Robinson and poet Nick Ascroft, featuring live music. Eve and Nick will also be in conversation with Dave Armstrong about their creation and the wild alchemy of collaboration. This is the inaugural partnership event between Featherston Booktown and the Martinborough Music Festival.


Generously sponsored by Bill Falconer CNZM and the Martinborough Music Festival Trust.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

BOOKETY BOOK CLUB


Saturday 5pm–5.55pm, Kiwi Hall, $25


Join bookseller and Bookstagram sensation Mandy Myles for a live edition of her Bookety Book Club. Mandy will be joined on stage by the incredible Australian writer Hannah Kent, and New Zealand literary legends Dominic Hoey, Josie Shapiro, and Josiah Morgan (Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Maniapoto) to discuss a book of their choice. What will it be? This book club will feel like you're hanging out with a book, a glass of wine, and your mates, if your mates were as talented and charming as our wonderful presenters.


Kindly supported by the Australian High Commission

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

WHAT IS OWED, WHAT IS GIVEN: A TRANS-TASMAN PERSPECTIVE ON COLONIAL RESTITUTION


Sunday 9am–10.25am, Anzac Hall, $35


How does a nation confront the wrongs of the past? Can the weight of colonisation and its effects ever truly be measured? How do we create paths forward that allow people to flourish and ensure the crimes of the past are not repeated? Former Governor-General and Treaty Negotiator Dame Patsy Reddy will chair a Trans-Tasman panel of experts to wrestle with these issues, featuring Papawai Marae Kaumātua Paora Ammunson (Ngāti Moe, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Rangitāne, Te Arawa), Māori and government adviser Traci Houpapa, and celebrated Indigenous Australian academic Professor Barry Judd.


Generously sponsored by two anonymous donors. Kindly supported by the Australian High Commission

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

DICKENS AT THE DICKENSIAN


Sunday 10am–11.25am, Dickensian Bookshop & Tea Rooms, $45 with morning tea


H.G. Parry has spent years reading and stealing from Dickens, from unleashing his characters on the streets of Wellington in her debut novel to retelling A Tale of Two Cities with faerie changelings last year. Join her for a conversation about Dickens' best stories, the different forms they have taken over the years, and why we still read, reread, and retell them.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

RIVERS OF MEMORY: THE VAST AND INTIMATE POSSIBILITY OF SHORT FICTION


Sunday 10.30am–11.25am, Supper Room, $25


Like a sudden plunge in cold water, short stories can provide moments of shock and clarity to our systems, completely immersing us in their layered worlds, before retreating and making way for something else. Michelle Duff (Surplus Women) and Ingrid Horrocks (All Her Lives) join Mary McCallum to discuss the infinite women of the past, present and future that populate their work as they resist, nurture and transform, and why the short story is the perfect vessel for it all.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

SAMUEL BUTLER: HAUNTED BY EREWHON


Sunday 1pm–1.55pm, Featherston School Hall, $25


Radical thinker, satirist, explorer, and author of Erewhon, arguably the first great New Zealand book, Samuel Butler left a significant mark on Aotearoa's literary history during his short time here. Join Butler scholar and author of Haunted by Erewhon Roger Robinson as he tells the missing story of Butler's time in New Zealand. In conversation with Featherston Booktown Chair Peter Biggs, Roger will bring to life the four formative years that shaped Butler's mind, his art, and his prescient vision of the modern world.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

BLOOD AND EMPATHY: WRITING A THRILLING THRILLER


Sunday 1.30pm–2.25pm, Kiwi Hall, $25


A sudden kidnapping, a cold case heating up, a dead man who won't stay dead. Nothing gets our heart pumping faster than a thriller. Novelists Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) author of Return to Blood and Bryan Walpert author of Empathy join New Zealand's king of true crime Steve Braunias to unearth all the dirty little secrets that go into writing the perfect thriller that keeps us turning the page and gasping.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

MRS BLACKWELL'S MOTHER'S DAY AFTERNOON TEA: BETWEEN THE COVERS


Sunday 3.30pm–5pm, Anzac Hall, $55


Gemma Flynn is many things: mother, wife, athlete, Olympian, advocate, and one of Aotearoa's leading literary tastemakers. Gemma's Instagram has become the go-to place for book recommendations that span genre, taste, and style. Gemma will be in conversation with celebrated novelist Josie Shapiro to discuss how she became a literary influencer, what drives her love of books, and how the hell she reads so much with everything else going on. Gemma will also share her latest recommendations, so whether you need a gift for your mum, your daughter, a friend, or a new lover you're trying to impress, Gemma, Josie, and Mrs Blackwell will make sure you're covered.


Generously sponsored by Millie Blackwell and The Village Bookshop.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

ON THE COUCH: GILBERT ENOKA


Saturday 9am–9.55am, Anzac Hall, $25


Visionary psychological coach Gilbert Enoka changed the way the All Blacks played. Having the highest winning record of any professional sports team in history is only possible because they leave nothing to chance. Their winning mindset and resilience are as important as their training, and Gilbert Enoka was their secret weapon. Bob Francis joins Gilbert on the couch to discuss his new book, Become Unstoppable, reflect on his unparalleled career, and distil his essential lessons so that we can all learn to win the All Blacks way.


Generously sponsored by Lamb Peters Print.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

WHAT MAKES DICKENS DICKENSIAN?


Saturday 10am–11.25am, Dickensian Bookshop & Tea Rooms, $45 with morning tea


What are your favourite moments in Dickens? What makes them Dickensian? Join author and scholar Roger Robinson as he seeks the essence of Dickens' greatness (with a digression on Dickens and New Zealand) at the aptly named Dickensian Bookshop & Tea Rooms with a scone and cup of tea. Limited to 40 people.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

GROUNDWORK: THE ART AND WRITING OF EMILY CUMMING HARRIS


Saturday 10am–10.55am, Supper Room, $25


Groundwork is a luscious tribute to Emily Cumming Harris, one of New Zealand's most significant botanical artists. Join authors Michele Leggott and Catherine Field-Dodgson (Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Te Aitanga a Māhaki) as they discuss their remarkable collaboration while bringing Emily's work and enduring legacy to life right before your eyes.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

PASSING OF THE TOKOTOKO: POETS LAUREATE IN CONVERSATION


Saturday 11.30am–12.25pm, Kiwi Hall, $25


Poets laureate have always acted as a voice for their nations and as advocates for not only the power of poetry but for all creativity. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Poet Laureateship, we bring you current New Zealand Poet Laureate Robert Sullivan (Ngāpuhi, Kāi Tahu) (2025-) and former Poet Laureate Michele Leggott (2007-2009), who will be in conversation with Jordan Hamel about the role of the Poet Laureate in a rapidly changing society, how the Aotearoa poetry landscape has shifted, and what the future holds.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

SEEKING OUR WAY: MAPPING A STORM & MAKING A BOOK


Saturday 1pm–2.25pm, St Teresa's School, free


In this hands-on, imaginative workshop, Emma Hinton will help you explore the idea of a storm: what it looks like, how it moves, and what it feels like. Together, we'll create a collaborative "storm map", then turn our artwork into a small saddle-stitched book to take home. This session invites tamariki and adults to explore their own paths and how we navigate storms together. And you get to make your own book!

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

PAPER-MAKING WORKSHOP


Saturday 1pm–3pm, St Teresa's School Quad, $50


Enjoy digging deeper into the ancient craft of handmade plant paper using native plants. Rob Kennedy will guide you through the basics and answer your questions in a hands-on workshop. The paper will be posted to you once it is dried and pressed. Prepare to get your hands wet! Limited to ten, so book early!

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

LEATHER AND CHAINS: KATE CAMP LIVE


Saturday 2pm–2.55pm, Supper Room, $25


Kate Camp brings her new memoir, in which she turns her poet's eye on her 1986 diary, to life. Kate responds to the blithe accounts of sex, drugs, and risk-taking with horror and admiration. How real are our memories? Can we ever know ourselves? And why is every entry signed off "Leather & Chains"? See it unfold live on stage.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

SHOW ME WHERE IT HURTS: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF MEDICAL MEMOIR


Saturday 3pm–3.55pm, Kiwi Hall, $25


Being a medical professional is hard! Being a writer is hard! Being a medical professional AND a writer?! How is that even possible?? Poet and doctor Glenn Colquhoun will get to the bottom of this as he interviews Dr Lucy O’Hagan, author of Everything but the Medicine, and Professor of Māori health and former nurse Jacquie Kidd (Ngāpuhi), author of Ngākaurua, about their candid and provocative memoirs.


Generously sponsored by Dennis Roberts and Richard Stone

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

GALA NIGHT 


$55 includes two events and a grazing table, cash bar


TUSIATA AVIA LIVE


Saturday 6.30pm–7.30pm, Anzac Hall


Award-winning author, international performer, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and subject of numerous moral panics, Tusiata Avia has lived many lives and built a reputation for creating and performing mesmerising, fearless, challenging work. Tusiata will appear at Featherston Booktown for the first time in conversation with RNZ's Susie Ferguson to discuss her incredible journey and to share from her latest book, Giving Birth to My Father, a rich, unflinching collection about learning to live with a loss that seems too heavy to bear.


In partnership with the Creative New Zealand Pasifika Arts Strategy Team.


LOVE AT FIRST LINE: A POETRY DATING SHOW


Saturday 8.15pm–9.30pm, Anzac Hall


Love is in the air ... but is everyone here for the right reasons? For one night only, we ditch the dating apps and ask three mystery poets to woo with just their words, live on stage. Hopeless romantic Josiah Morgan plays literary matchmaker to help one lucky contestant find the poet of their dreams.


Generously sponsored by Peter and Mary Biggs.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

LUCY O'HAGAN: INSIDE THE GP CONSULTATION


Sunday 9am–9.55am, Supper Room, $25


Watch our Supper Room transform into your doctor's office right before your eyes as Dr Lucy O'Hagan delivers a riveting and intimate performance of her extraordinary one-woman show Inside the GP Consultation.


Generously sponsored by Wairarapa Medical.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

WORKSHOP: WRITING FOR THE SCREEN


Sunday 10am–12.55pm, Workshop Room, St Teresa's School, $70


Join award-winning screenwriter, director, and author Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) for a fun, fast-paced rollercoaster ride through the stuff that really matters in writing for film and telly. Using short films, music videos, and excerpts from feature films, Bennett gives you a boot camp introduction into telling powerful stories through powerful images.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

MANA: IN CONVERSATION WITH TĀME ITI


Sunday 11.30am–12.25pm, Anzac Hall, $30


Tāme Iti (Ngāi Tūhoe) has stood at the heart of Aotearoa’s struggle for Indigenous rights. His voice has constantly challenged New Zealand to reckon with its colonial legacy. Once branded as a dangerous activist, now hailed as a national treasure, Tāme has lived the contradictions and realities of standing with mana motuhake in a modern world. Mana is the story of a man who has never stopped challenging the status quo. Tāme will kōrero with his son, Toi Kai Rākau Iti (Ngāi Tūhoe), about the road he walked and the people who joined him: the comrades, the supporters, and the ones who tried to take him out.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

WORKSHOP: TOIKUPU HEI KAPO WHETŪ: POETRY TO CATCH THE STARS


Sunday 1pm–2.55pm, Workshop Room, St Teresa's School, $60


Nau mai, hono mai ki tēnei wāhanga tuhi hei pohewatia i tētahi toikupu hei kapo i ngā whetū! Join award-winning poet and spoken word artist Matariki Bennett for a workshop where we will dream up poetry to catch the stars! This workshop will blend elements of writing and performance. Everyone who attends will walk out with a shiny new poem to share with the world.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

MIKE McROBERTS: SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE


Sunday 2.30pm–3.25pm, Featherston School Hall, $25


Renowned journalist and broadcaster Mike McRoberts (Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa) grew up at a time when te reo Māori was scarcely spoken within a mixed-race family with little connection to Māoritanga, an experience mirrored by that of many other New Zealanders of his generation. Join Mike and interviewer Airana Ngarewa (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Rauru, Ngāruahine) as Mike opens up on his journey to reclaim his reo and reconnect to te ao Māori.


Generously sponsored by Tessa O’Rorke and Tim Clarke.

Images-On-Website1 - Joy.jpg

BOOK LAUNCH: LUCKY CREATURES


Sunday 3pm–3.55pm, Fell Engine Museum, free


Join us to launch Joseph Trinidad's debut essay collection, Lucky Creatures, a bold and playful exploration of migration, queerness, and the transnational experience. This Mother's Day launch, with words from Joseph's mother, and fellow author Shariff Burke, will match the warmth, grace, and humour of the book it is celebrating.


Presented in partnership with Te Herenga Waka University Press.

© 2024 Featherston Booktown Trust, New Zealand Charity Registration Number CC52369

  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • X
  • Instagram
bottom of page