The Auckland Writers & Readers Festival was born of a desire to celebrate and promote literacy, reading, writing and ideas in Auckland. A community of writers, booksellers, publishers and avid readers invested grass roots enthusiasm into what has become an eagerly anticipated annual event.
Three annual festivals in 1999, 2000 and 2001 ran largely on volunteer horsepower before The Auckland Writers and Readers Festival Charitable Trust was formed in 2001, and an endowment fund initiated with the support of Foundation Patrons.
The festival went biennial as it built resources: the 2003 and 2005 festivals grew in scope and audience numbers before the event returned to its annual roots in 2006.
Over eleven years, more than 151,000 people have attended the festival, from an audience of around 5,000 at the first festival in 1999 to over 31,000 in 2011. A consistently growing audience has taken the festival to heart, as have over 1,100 writers, including over two hundred international writers who have visited Auckland specifically for the event.
Delmaine have been proud to support the Festival for over 10 years, supplying both financial assistance and foods and beverages for the various programmes. Visit the festival on www.writersfestival.co.nz
