Varuna Residency – Alumni

Varuna Writers Residency

New Zealand writer Hazel Phillips and Australian writer Nam Le have been announced as the recipients of the 2026 New Zealand-Australia residency exchange, an international residency programme held by Varuna, the Australian National Writers House in collaboration with the Michael King Writers Centre in Auckland.

The three-week residency exchange will take place during October and November 2026. Before flying to Christchurch to participate in the WORD Festival, Nam will spend his time at the Michael King Writers Centre working on his next book, a poetic geography of Melbourne/Naarm. Hazel will work on her debut novel at Varuna and will appear at the Blue Mountains Writers Festival.

Hazel receives return flights to Sydney, three weeks accommodation and meals at Varuna and the opportunity to appear at the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival in November.

New Zealand writer Ingrid Horrocks and Australian writer Fiona Murphy were the recipients of the 2025 New Zealand-Australia residency exchange. In 2024 it was Dominic Hoey (NZ) and Australian writer Kathryn Heyman.  In 2023 it was Emma Hislop (NZ) and Fiona Kelly McGregor (Aust.) and Kate Mildenhall was the Australian recipient of the inaugural residency exchange in 2022 whilst Gina Cole was the New Zealand writer who was selected to go to Australia that year.

For more information about the program, see the Varuna website.

New Zealand’s literary exchange with Australia is available through a partnership between Varuna Writers House in Katoomba New South Wales, Australia and the Michael King Writers Centre. This residency programme is supported by the Creative Australia (previously known as Australia Council for the Arts).
Nam Le: 2026
Australian Residency Exchange – to MKWC 1920 1920 Michael King Writers Centre

Nam Le: 2026
Australian Residency Exchange – to MKWC

Nam Le is the author of The Boat, On David Malouf, and 36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem. His writing has won numerous honours, been republished in modern classics series, and is widely translated, anthologised and taught.

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Hazel Phillips: 2026
Australian Residency Exchange – to Varuna 684 684 Michael King Writers Centre

Hazel Phillips: 2026
Australian Residency Exchange – to Varuna

Hazel is a New Zealand author, journalist and history enthusiast. She is the author of five books: Great Hearts: First Ladies of Aoraki Mount Cook (Massey University Press, 2026); Fire & Ice: Secrets, histories, treasures…

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Ingrid Horrocks: 2025 Australian Residency Exchange – to Varuna 1707 1707 Michael King Writers Centre

Ingrid Horrocks: 2025 Australian Residency Exchange – to Varuna

Wellington based writer Ingrid’s creative publications span two decades and a number of genres, including two poetry books, two books of narrative nonfiction, an edited collection on imaginings of place. Ingrid’s 2021 residency project and her…

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Fiona Murphy: 2025 Australian Residency Exchange – to MKWC 1707 1707 Michael King Writers Centre

Fiona Murphy: 2025 Australian Residency Exchange – to MKWC

Fiona is an award-winning writer and arts critic based in the Blue Mountains. Her writing about disability, accessibility and the arts has appeared in The Guardian, ABC, The Saturday Paper, Griffith Review, The Big Issue.…

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Kathryn Heyman: 2024 Australian Residency Exchange – to MKWC 1660 1660 Michael King Writers Centre

Kathryn Heyman: 2024 Australian Residency Exchange – to MKWC

Dr Kathryn Heyman is the author of six novels and the acclaimed memoir, Fury, which was shortlisted for the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature and is in development as a feature film.  Her first novel,…

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Dominic Hoey: 2024 Australian Residency Exchange – to Varuna 1604 1604 Michael King Writers Centre

Dominic Hoey: 2024 Australian Residency Exchange – to Varuna

Dominic is a Tāmaki Makaurau based poet, author and playwright. His two novels, Iceland and Poor People With Money were New Zealand bestsellers. Iceland was long-listed for the 2018 Ockham Book Award. He’s released four…

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Fiona Kelly McGregor: 2023 Australian Residency Exchange – to MKWC 962 962 Michael King Writers Centre

Fiona Kelly McGregor: 2023 Australian Residency Exchange – to MKWC

Fiona’s most recent novel is Iris, longlisted for the Stella Prize and shortlisted for the NSW Premiers Awards. Previously, Indelible Ink won Age Book of the Year. Her non-fiction includes essay collection, Buried Not Dead, shortlisted…

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Emma Hislop: 2023 Australian Residency Exchange – to Varuna 1707 1708 Michael King Writers Centre

Emma Hislop: 2023 Australian Residency Exchange – to Varuna

Emma (Kāi Tahu) is a Taranaki based writer.  Her first book of short fiction, Ruin, was published in March 2023 with Te Herenga Waka University Press.  She has an MA with Distinction from the IIML…

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Gina Cole: 2022 Australian Residency Exchange – to Varuna 1708 1707 Michael King Writers Centre

Gina Cole: 2022 Australian Residency Exchange – to Varuna

Gina is of Fijian, Scottish and Welsh descent. She is a freelance writer and lives in Tāmaki Makaurau. Her collection Black Ice Matter won the Hubert Church Prize for Best First Book Fiction at the…

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Kate Mildenhall: 2022 Australian Residency Exchange – to MKWC 894 894 Michael King Writers Centre

Kate Mildenhall: 2022 Australian Residency Exchange – to MKWC

Kate is the much-acclaimed author of the novels Skylarking (Black Inc.) and The Mother Fault (S&S). The Mother Fault was longlisted for the 2021 ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year and shortlisted for the…

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