Since the unveiling of the first eleven sculptures in 2002, the Wellington Writers Walk has grown to include a series of 23 typographical sculptures dotted along Wellington’s waterfront. The sculptures honour and celebrate the lives and works of New Zealand writers – poets, novelists, and playwrights, all with a connection to Wellington. Writers Walk chair Philippa Werry and committee member Tracy Farr will give an overview of the Walk’s genesis and history and provide an insight into the new sculpture to be unveiled for Matariki 2026: the Walk’s first sculpture in te reo Māori, and the first addition to the Walk since 2013. They will talk about its design and text and the significance of its placement within the kaupapa of the Walk.
Philippa Werry writes fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays for children and young adults. She has a particular interest in history which has produced titles such as Anzac Day, Best Mates, Waitangi Day, Lighthouse Family, The New Zealand Wars, The Telegram and The Other Sister, and her work has also appeared in the School Journal and many other educational publications. Several of her books, both fiction and non-fiction, have been shortlisted for awards and her verse novel Iris and Me, a fictional biography of writer Robin Hyde, won the Young Adult section of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2023.
Tracy Farr is a writer who used to be a scientist. She worked for a number of years on seaweeds in the Botany collections at Te Papa. Her most recent novel, Wonderland, was longlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction in the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Her writing has been translated, published internationally, and adapted for radio and stage. Although she’s only been on the committee of Wellington Writers Walk since 2024, she is a longtime fan of the Walk. She was at the launch of the first eleven sculptures in 2002; and in 2016, when Tracy was commissioned by BBC Radio4 to write and record a Literary Postcard from New Zealand, she focused on Wellington Writers Walk.