NZSA 2025 Youth Mentorships announced

The New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa has announced the recipients of the NZSA 2025 Youth Mentorship Programme.

The four secondary school students selected for mentorships are:

• Jayden Cox from Rutherford College (Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland)
• Madison Heta from Aparima College (Otautau)
• Isabella Jones from St Catherines (Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington)
• Eleazar Kenese from McAuley High School (Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland).

The highly commended student writers are:

• Samuela Dsouza from Auckland Girls’ Grammar School (Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland)
• Eassin Wang from St Cuthbert’s College, (Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland).

The four mentees were chosen by writers Tina Shaw and Cristina Schumacher and will be matched with a professional writer/mentor in their chosen genre. 

Shaw said: ‘It was very difficult to choose a shortlist this year from so many talented young writers. The projects ranged from fantasy and dystopic fiction to political poetry, and showed that young writers are thinking seriously about their writing.’

Established in 2010, The NZSA Youth MentorshipProgramme aims ‘to foster and develop emerging writing talent around Aotearoa New Zealand with the support of established authors’.

More information about the program is available on the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) website.

Category: Awards Local news