A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and three authors with Booker Prize credentials highlight a jam-packed celebration of literary excellence for this year’s bumper edition of the Auckland Writers Festival in May.

With the festival programme revealed on Wednesday night, New Yorker Colson Whitehead is the international headline act, having reached the Pulitzer pinnacle in 2017 and 2020 for The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys. 

His name was announced to gasps of appreciation from the packed central city art gallery hosting last night’s launch.

The festival’s emerged from the pandemic and devastating weather bombs with a proliferation of Aotearoa, Pasifika and indigenous talent in the 160 in-person events, alongside the likes of Eleanor Catton, Shehan Karunatilaka, Bernardine Evaristo and best-selling author Garbrielle Zevin (full line up can be viewed here).

But some of the shine from the tremendous lineup was dimmed by the very real prospect of Auckland Council budget cuts, with arts and culture programmes and venues set to suffer in the bid to slash tens of millions of dollars from the body’s massive projected shortfall. Auckland Writers Festival is among those who stand to be impacted.

The festival’s board chair Leigh Melville, who is part-owner and managing director of the Art + Object auction house in the CBD confronted the threat during her presentation at the launch, and expanded on the comments to The Big Idea.

“It’s so important to understand the arts environment in Auckland is not well funded.  It’s not like you’re cutting the fat off something.

"The Auckland Art Gallery has no acquisitions budget.  Neither does the Auckland Museum, to the best of my knowledge at the moment.  Our galleries and museums are missing out on a whole generation of acquisitions that in the future is going to be missing.

“We’re relying hugely on private patronage and the generosity of others, to ensure our collections are maintained.”

Melville (above) continues “I don’t understand how the small community galleries that rely on public funding, how they could have their funding under threat.

"It’s very important that everybody in our country can access arts.  

"The pandemic has shown us the importance of arts in our lives. The fact that it can uplift us and provide not only a learning experience but a bit of a mental health break. The ability to go to a gallery and just take some time out, whether you are just looking or you want to buy something .. I would hate to think it was going to be taken away from people.

"I cannot understand where major cuts are going to come from apart from closing small community facilities and restricting access to people who need it most.

"That’s not right for our city, that’s not a city I want to live in. It’s important that everyone has access not just those who can afford it because they’re privately funded.”

She’s incredulous that the cuts are even on the agenda, and the esteemed salute to authors and their ability to challenge and entertain could be undermined or diluted.

“Anyone can be a reader… You just have to like books, and we can access books in so many ways these days.

“The Writers Festival performs such an important part of our society - educating people about the joy of reading from the age of 3 or 4 right up to our most senior citizens, who enjoy coming to the festival.

“I just don’t understand how you would challenge the importance.”

Melville urged book-lovers, and art lovers in general, to have their say by the March 28 deadline for the Auckland Council Annual Budget 2023/2024 Feedback - and naturally to support and salute the brilliance on show at the incredible celebration of writers and their art in May.