The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN New Zealand Inc.) promotes and protects the interests of New Zealand writers. It was founded as the New Zealand

PEN PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...

Centre (Poets, Essays and Novelists) in 1934. It broadened its scope and became the New Zealand Society of Authors in 1994, under the presidency of writer

Philip Temple Robert Philip Temple (born 1939 in Yorkshire, England) is a Dunedin-based New Zealand author of novels, children's stories, and non-fiction. His work is characterised by a strong association with the outdoors and New Zealand ecology. Career ...

. There are eight branches covering all regions of New Zealand. Branches were established in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

and

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

first, and later in Otago and Canterbury. The Otago Branch was established in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in 1982 under the leadership of writer and artist

Christodoulos Moisa Christodoulos Evangeli Georgiou Moisa (born 1948) is a New Zealand poet, artist, photographer, writer, essayist and art teacher. Early life Moisa was born in 1948 in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. His parents were immigrants from Cyprus. His father ...

, who had moved to there from Auckland. He was helped by poet Graham Lindsay. Moisa had been nominated for membership by ''

Auckland Star The ''Auckland Star'' was an evening daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, from 24 March 1870 to 16 August 1991. Survived by its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Star'', part of its name endures in ''The Sunday Star-Times'', created i ...

'' editor and writer David Ballantyne and Prof. Bernard Brown before he left Auckland to live in Dunedin. The branch used to meet once a month in the staffroom of the Hocken Building, where Moisa worked as an artist on the Ban Nadi Archeological project of the Otago University Department of Anthropology. Among its first members were Graham Lindsay,

Hone Tuwhare Hone Peneamine Anatipa Te Pona Tuwhare (21 October 1922 – 16 January 2008) was a noted Māori people, Māori New Zealand poet. He is closely associated with The Catlins in the Southland region of New Zealand, where he lived for the latter ...

(poet), Bill Dean (lecturer of English), Peter Olds (poet), Owen Marshall (writer) and

Cilla McQueen Priscilla Muriel McQueen (born 22 January 1949) is a New Zealand poet and three-time winner of the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry, New Zealand Book Award for Poetry. Early years and education McQueen was born on 22 January 1949 in Birm ...

(poet). The Canterbury Branch was established in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

in 1984 under the leadership of Moisa, who had moved to the city from Dunedin. It met once a month at the Media Club Rooms in

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

Street and in various other venues around Christchurch. Among its first members were

Margaret Mahy Margaret Mahy (21 March 1936 – 23 July 2012) was a New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. Many of her story plots have strong supernatural elements but her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growi ...

Gavin Bishop Gavin John Bishop (born 1946) is an author and illustrator, from Invercargill, New Zealand. He is known for illustrating books from prominent New Zealand authors, including Joy Cowley and Margaret Mahy. Bishop's first published picture book was ...

, Elsie Locke, Michael Harlow and Glenn Busch.

References

{{Authority control International PEN centers New Zealand writers' organisations