Writer Tanika Gupta and Ola Animashawun (Associate Director, Royal Court Theatre) are in Auckland for the Pasifika Playwrights International Series 08. Four Pacific writers will work with them via script labs and development workshops, with free public play readings and a forum showcasing NZ's freshest Pacific playwrights and productions.

Ola Animashawun is Head of the Royal Court Young Writers Programme, and recently won an Eclipse Award for promoting cultural diversity in the arts. "Write about what you fight about," he says. "You can't deny passion, you know it, you feel it."

Tanika Gupta has won multiple awards and fans for her writing work across radio, screen, stage and page. Recent plays include Sugar Mommies, White Boy and Gladiator Games, and she's also penned episodes of Eastenders, Grange Hill and The Bill.