In 2003, several beginning children's writers were looking for somewhere to find support. Just embarking on their writing careers, they wanted to hear from New Zealand authors about how they had started. How had they got published? Where did they get their ideas from? How much help did they need along the way? On top of that, they were keen to make sure that they got direct feedback on their own work, to get that confidence needed to move forward.

There was no obvious place to go, so they teamed up after meeting at a Children’s Literature Book Chat group and so was founded Kiwi Write4Kidz. The Management Team now includes key members: Maria Gill - Co-ordinator, Jean Prior, Dee Pigneguy, and Heather Arnold.

Critique groups have sprung up across the Auckland region. It is a time in which we give each other valuable and valued feedback on our works-in-progress. Every month clusters of children's writers join together from Warkworth to Waiuku, from Henderson to Howick. Often this is the very first opportunity you get to share your work with other writers – bite-sized manuscript assessment by people who love writing for children.

Many years later the winning formula remains largely unchanged. All those questions they had have now been answered by the likes of Gavin Bishop, Betty and Alan Gilderdale, Pamela Allen and Jennifer Beck to name but a few at author talks and workshops. Since its inception in 2003 our focus has gone from regular author talks to specialised weekend workshops.

Even for those who cannot make it regularly to the workshops, the information stacked up in the monthly newsletters is a potent, invaluable resource. You can read about what events are coming up, check out the latest book reviews, find out what the publishers are looking for in their guidelines and share in the success of our members.

The successes are not inconsiderable. In their founding year Kiwi Write4Kidz authors had an amazing number of books published, and yes, some of them are first-time authors. One of our members has had one of the country's biggest publishing contracts - selling her first four books to a large international company. Another was the winner of the 2004 Joy Cowley award. In the second year one of our members sold four of her books to a New Zealand publishing house and another was commissioned to write seven stories by a New Zealand publishing house. In years to come, we know we will see many, many more achievements from our members.

If you want to establish or enhance your career writing children's books then Kiwi Write4Kidz is a proven way to get started.