Landfall Tauraka 250
Edited by Lynley Edmeades
Aotearoa New Zealand’s iconic and longest-running arts and literary journal honours its milestone 250th issue with a new name, a new design, gorgeous cover art by Fiona Pardington and an exciting bumper issue. Landfall Tauraka 250 is filled to the brim with contributions from emerging and established writers and artists. This beautiful, collectable edition sings with many voices in a wide-ranging celebration of imaginative thought and creativity.
Alongside the finest new writing, art and reviews from across the motu, the commemorative 250th issue debuts the Landfall Tauraka Craft Interview – a kōrero between Bill Manhire and editor Lynley Edmeades – and features reflections from cherished writers on the journal’s enduring impact. It also announces the winners of three major literary awards: the 2025 Caselberg Trust International Poetry Prize, judged by Robert Sullivan; the 2025 Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award, judged by Chris Tse; and the 2025 Landfall Tauraka Essay Prize, judged by Tina Makereti.
Landfall Tauraka was founded in 1947 as a periodical dedicated to New Zealand poetry, fiction, essays, art, criticism and reviews. The journal has been in continuous publication for nearly 80 years. In that time, it has become a living taonga, a record of creative and critical expression in Aotearoa, and a platform for an extraordinary range of voices. More than 2500 contributors have appeared in its pages, together producing almost 9000 pieces of work.
Published with the assistance of Creative New Zealand
Contributors
ART Simon Kaan, Fiona Pardington & John Vea
FICTION Chloe Balisacan, Rebecca Ball, Connie Buchanan, Shariff Burke,Thom Conroy, Kirsty Gunn, Amy Head, Sharon Lam, Gerard O’Brien, Lawrence Patchett, Tōrea Scott-Fyfe, Grant Smithies & Anna Woods
NON-FICTION Lucinda Birch, Joanna Cho, Ash Davida Jane, Paula Morris, Tasmin Prichard & John Prins
POETRY Tunmise Adebowale, Hāwea Apiata, Hinemoana Baker, Airini Beautrais, Victor Billot, Izzie Birnie, Cindy Botha, Diane Brown, Danny Bultitude, Kim Cope Tait, Ash Davida Jane, Lynn Davidson, John Dennison, Leah Dodd, Ada Duffy, David Eggleton, Eliana Gray, Rebecca Hawkes, Anna Jackson, Claire Lacey, Renee Liang, Mary Macpherson, Owen Marshall, Jackson McCarthy, Frankie McMillan, Cilla McQueen, Josiah Morgan, Emma Neale, Mikaela Nyman, Claire Orchard, Hannah Patterson, Jenny Powell, Chris Price, Mark Prisco, Hayden Pyke, Richard Reeve, Reihana Robinson, Frankie Seeyeff, Elizabeth Smither, Lisa Stanley, Robert Sullivan, Jessica Hinerangi Thompson-Carr, Chris Tse, Whaitiri Tua-Warbrick, Tim Upperton, Louise Wallace, Ian Wedde, Helen Williford-Lower & Xiaole Zhan
REVIEW Airini Beautrais, Sally Blundell, Michael Harlow, Rowan Light, Wendy Parkins, Giovanni Tiso & Bronwyn Wylie-Gibb
Reviews and Interviews
New Zealand Bestseller list 24th October 2025 Read
New Zealand Bestseller list 31st October 2025 Read
'It’s a place for everyone to come and feel safe. It’s a holding place if you like. It’s a lovely reading of Landfall, the initial name, as a harbour to come and gather, to protect yourself from the storm. There’s going to be something in there for everyone. It’s for writers, and it’s important for writers, because it’s a place for them to get published and to be paid for their work ... But I also think any reader, of any kind, will find something in there that they will enjoy ... It’s such a portal into New Zealand society, not just New Zealand writing. These writers are telling us what New Zealanders are thinking about today, and I think it’s such a window into our moment.'
Lynley Edmeades talks to Jeff Harford on Write Spot, OAR FM with the Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature Listen
'I wrote partly because Landfall was there' – Anne Kennedy
Some of New Zealand’s most beloved writers look back on their first time being published in Landfall in this beautiful tribute to Landfall Tauraka 250 by the Academy of New Zealand Literature Read
'Landfall was started by Charles Brasch in 1947, with the idea of creating a centre for New Zealand literature. It’s taken on many shapes and forms over almost 80 years, and that, largely is its strength. Brasch was at the helm for a long time. He deeply believed in the place that the arts have in society and New Zealand culture. And since then, Landfall has evolved and there’s been a number of different editors, which is why I think it’s created such a diverse standing in the literary community. I can’t stay here forever, for example, and I think that’s a good thing. I’ll hand it over soon enough, and then someone else will take the helm, continung the longevity that I think the journal continues to have.'
Lynley Edmeades speaks to Kathryn Ryan on Nine to Noon, RNZ Read
Landfall Tauraka is a living thing, always growing, always evolving. It reflects Aotearoa New Zealand society in our moment even as the times are changing around us.
Laura Hewson writes about Landfall Tauraka 250 for the University of Otago Read