The Robert Burns Fellowship, established in 1958 as a bicentennial celebration, is claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past fellows includes many of New Zealand's most notable writers. The position is based at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. It provides a year's salary and accommodation for a writer in and around the university. The Robert Burns Fellowship is named after Scotland's national poet Robert Burns: Dunedin is the city in New Zealand with the highest proportion of people of Scottish descent.
Robert Burns Fellows
- 1959 Ian Cross
- 1960 Maurice Duggan
- 1961 John Caselburg
- 1962 R.A.K. Mason
- 1963 Maurice Shadbolt
- 1964 Maurice Gee
- 1965 Janet Frame
- 1966-1967 James K. Baxter
- 1968 Ruth Dallas
- 1969 Warren Dibble
- 1970 O. E. Middleton
- 1971 Noel Hilliard
- 1972 Ian Wedde
- 1973 Graham Billing
- 1974 Hone Tuwhare
- 1975 Witi Ihimaera
- 1976 Sam Hunt
- 1977 Kerry Hulme and Roger Hall
- 1978 Roger Hall and Peter Olds
- 1979 Michael A Noonan
- 1980 Philip Temple
- 1981-1982 William Sewell
- 1983 Rawiri Paratene
- 1984 Brian Turner
- 1985-1986 Cilla McQueen
- 1987 Robert Lord
- 1988 John Dickson
- 1989 Renee
- 1990 David Eggleton
- 1991 Lynley Hood
- 1992 Owen Marshall
- 1993 Stuart Hoare
- 1994 Christine Johnston
- 1995 Elspeth Sandys
- 1996 Bernadette Hall
- 1997 Paddy Richardson
- 1998 Michael King
- 1999 Michael King and Paula Boock
- 2000 James Norcliffe
- 2001 Jo Randerson
- 2002 Alison Wong of Porirua
- 2003 Nick Ascroft and Sarah Quigley
- 2004 Katherine Duignan
- 2005 Catherine Chidgey
- 2006 Catherine Chidgey and Dianne Ruth Pettis
- 2007 Laurence Fearnley
