Applications are now open for the CLNZ | NZSA Research Grants to help writers research a fiction or non-fiction writing project.
Kua tuwhera ināianei ngā tono mō ngā Karāti Rangahau o te CLNZ | NZSA hei āwhina atu māu e rangahau tō hinonga, tō kōrero paki, tō kōrero pono rānei.
Four grants valued at $5,000 each are available to New Zealand writers.
One of the grants targets diverse writers and topics, including writers from, and writing about, parts of Aotearoa that are not broadly represented in writing and publishing, and projects on issues or subjects that are topical in present day Aotearoa.
E whā ngā karāti, e $5,000 te wāriu o ia karāti, ā, e wātea ana aua mea ki ngā kaituhi o Aotearoa.
E aro pū ana tētahi o ngā karāti ki ngā kaituhi kanorau me ngā kaupapa kanorau, tae ana ki ngā kaituhi i ahu mai ai i, e tuhi nei hoki mō ngā wāhi o Aotearoa me uaua ka kitea i roto i ngā tuhinga, i roto hoki i te ao tā pukapuka, ā, tae ana ki ngā hinonga e pā ana ki ngā take o te wā, ki ngā kaupapa o te wā rānei nō roto mai o Aotearoa onāianei.
These are brought to you by Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) and the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) as part of the CLNZ Cultural Fund.
Grant Impact: Previous Recipients Share Their Experience
‘Kept me focused’
Since receiving her 2025 CLNZ | NZSA Research Grant, Jacquie McRae has been busy researching and writing her historical novel set in 1863 Aotearoa New Zealand.
“The research grant helped me buy some time, in both Tamaki Makaurau and Te Whanganui a tara. I was able to spend time in both their reading rooms, with archives and manuscripts, that are only available in these spaces,” she says.
McRae says receiving the grant helped her stay focused on her project.
“One of the gifts of the research grant is that I feel an obligation to enact what I proposed to do in my application. It is helping me keep focused and giving me some parameters around my research.”
Her research continues with a planned trip to Whakatu in June, to spend time in the extensive archives held in the offices of Ngāti Koata.
‘Now writing from a far more confident and assured place’
Fiction writer Rosetta Allan received a 2025 CLNZ | NZSA Research Grant for a new novel, The Good Uncle. She says the grant helped give her space to properly sit with the world of the novel and deepen the research behind it.
“It allowed me to engage more directly with the systems surrounding addiction, including courts, remand, rehabilitation, and community responses, as well as spend time on place-based research and conversations with people connected to that world,” Allan says.
Because of this, she says the characters and the emotional truth of the story has been shaped in a much more grounded way.
“It also gave me the time to structure the novel clearly, chapter by chapter, so I’m now writing from a far more confident and assured place.”
‘Time and confidence’
Taryn Dryfhout received a 2025 CLNZ | NZSA Research Grant to work on her project Ngā Tini Ara o te Tamariki: A Complete History of Adoption in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“Receiving the CLNZ NZSA Research Grant was a real turning point for this project,” she says.
Taryn Dryfhout is a Māori academic, teacher, and writer whose work explores the intersections of adoption, western frameworks, and Māori worldviews. Her project will be the first comprehensive account of the history of adoption in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“[The Research Grant] allowed me to move beyond initial ideas and outlines and into focused, sustained research, particularly in accessing archival sources and shaping the early direction of the book. As a writer balancing significant family responsibilities, this support made a tangible difference. It gave me both the time and the confidence to take this work seriously and begin building it into something substantial.”
Want to Apply?
A broad range of fiction and non-fiction writing projects are eligible for these grants. However, some works and projects are excluded so please check the guidelines carefully.
First: Read the CLNZ / NZSA Research Grant Guidelines: https://authors.org.nz/clnznzsa-research-grants/application-guide-and-criteria/
Then: Fill in the CLNZ / NZSA Research Grant Application Form:
https://authors.org.nz/clnz-nzsa-research-grants-application-form/
The CLNZ | NZSA Research Grants open for applications 9am Friday 22 May 2026, and will close at 4pm Friday 19 June 2026.
Submissions must be made online. Unsuccessful applicants will be advised before recipients are announced. Successful recipients will be contacted directly, and we will also publish the announcement on the CLNZ and NZSA websites and social media platforms.
NZSA is proud to be administering the awards in 2026.
Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) plays a key role in making creative rights valuable assets for all New Zealanders, be they rightsholders like authors, publishers and artists, or users such as educators, students and businesses. CLNZ provides licences to help make copying, scanning and sharing printed works easy and legal.
New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) was established in 1934 and is the principal organisation representing writers’ interests in NZ. A national office oversees 8 branches and hubs, administers prizes and awards, runs professional development programmes, advocates for the sector and to raise the visibility of NZ writers and NZ writing. It works in partnership with Ngā Kaituhi Māori and its developing Youth writer’s network.