Robert Mac Donald Wins National Writers Competion

Waimarama’s Robert Mac Donald Wins National Writers Competition

Robert Mac Donald, Owner/Director of Waimarama Maori Tours, is one of six in New Zealand selected for the Huia Publishers Te Papa Tupu Programme - an incubator programme that accepts six writers every two years to work on their manuscript for six months with the possibility of having their work published.

Mentors for Te Papa Tupu are experienced within the publishing industry, whether as writers or editors and akonga (students) are matched with mentors based on style or genre.

The Maori Literature Trust, with the support of Creative New Zealand, Te Puni Kokiri and Huia Publishers, offers an opportunity every 2 years for six talented Maori writers to participate in Te Papa Tupu.

“The excitement of the news is still with me.” Said Robert MacDonald, “My stories are an accumulation of my lifetime and my ongoing concern was that if I didn't write them down they would be lost forever.”

“I have always loved writing and if I track back through the years there are so many examples of it: the blog and facebook posts for Waimarama Maori Tours, my time as the chairman of the Waimarama Committee, the family farm, and I have written submissions, applications, reports, references and letters of support all my life.”

In 2013 Robert was one of the 19 finalists for the Pikihuia Awards for Maori Writers in the Best Short Story in English Category. Of the record 321 entries received, only 47 were selected as finalists across the five categories of those Awards.

“I think that life is a balance between ‘expectation’ and ‘circumstance’ and one is very dependent upon the other. My ‘circumstances’ changed years ago when I met wonderful people who gave me impetus to change my ‘expectation’ and a reason to be thrilled and excited about what is ahead.”

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