WORD Festival

Launched in 1997, WORD Christchurch is a world-class festival of literature, politics, culture and ideas – all things that are resonate with us at University of Canterbury.

University of Canterbury staff, alumni and students have supported WORD Christchurch festivals throughout all its iterations over the years, speaking about their books, interviewing other authors, chairing panel discussions and attending sessions. In 2021, the University and WORD Christchurch formalised this relationship with a partnership agreement.

In 2022 UC are delighted to be supporting two major events in the WORD Christchurch programme: An Evening With Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, both of which have been adapted for the screen; and the Secondary Schools Programme on site at UC. In addition UC student, Tessa Boraston is a guest programmer for WORD Christchurch in 2022 and has curated Mana Wāhine, a kōrero between three recently published Māori authors about influence and craft. A number of UC staff and alumni are involved in various other events throughout the festival.

UC is pleased to develop our partnership with WORD Christchurch and we look forward to continuing to support the largest literary festival in the South Island.