The biennial WORD Christchurch Readers’ and Writers’ Festival is the largest literary event in New Zealand's South Island 

WORD events bring writers, thinkers and performers together to celebrate the written word and provide a window for readers to respond to ideas. 

A number of Text authors will be appearing at the Christchurch festival in 2016. They are Tim Flannery, Kate Holden, John Freeman, David Levithan, Matt Vickers, Jane Higgins, and Bernard Beckett.