The largest national hui yet for Aotearoa New Zealand’s community of children’s and young adult writers and illustrators gathered in Auckland over the weekend of 3-4 October 2026.
Organised by the Storylines Children Literature Trust Te Whare Waituhi Tamariki, the national hui at Dilworth School, Auckland, was attended by some 180 writers and illustrators, published and aspiring, from all over Aotearoa New Zealand.
”The response was phenomenal,” says event organiser Leonie Agnew, “especially in these tough economic times – testament to the passion and commitment of those who want to create books for New Zealand’s young readers.”
Veteran author Tessa Duder was among the 32 authors and illustrators attending the first hui in 1992 at Joy Cowley’s home in the Marlborough Sounds.
She says, “Since then, children’s writers and illustrators have gathered for some ten events held in the main centres, but this 2026 hui was significantly the largest yet, an absolute blast.”
A highlight was Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador Kate De Goldi’s “call to arms”, calling her keynote “Midnight at the edge of reading”, she stressed the crucial importance of reading in children’s development, lamenting the steady decline in children’s reading abilities and habits worldwide and stressing the need for positive action to reverse the trend.
The full text will be available shortly on the Storylines website.
Among the hui presenters were internationally published authors Graci Kim, Gavin Bishop, Donovan Bixley, Swapna Haddow, Li Chen, Giselle Clarkson, Eileen Merriman, and the recent ‘Margaret Mahy Book of the Year‘ winners Josh Morgan and Sasha Cotter.
The pitch slam sessions, where attendees pitched their ideas to editors from major publishing houses, sold out within weeks, but the full two-day programme also included well-attended master classes, workshops and panels.
More than 200 attended the traditional Saturday night Literary Banquet, with entertainment provided by writers themselves: Sam Smith, Donovan Bixley, Tessa Duder, Tim Tipene and Graci Kim.
The Storylines Circle at Te Manawa Library was a great success with over a hundred people turning up to see Donovan Bixley, Sacha Cotter, Josh Morgan, Swapna Haddow and Melinda Szymanik. This event was an extension of the successful Storyline hui and supported through the generosity of our sponsor, Kiwi Christmas Books.
