Renée (1929-) Feminist dramatist and fiction writer Renée was born in Napier, and is of Ngati Kahungunu and Irish-English-Scots ancestry. After leaving school at 12, Renée worked in a woollen mill, printing factory and grocery-dairy store before heading off to study, completing a BA at the University of Auckland in 1979. In 1989 Renée was awarded the Burns Fellowship.

Renée started writing for the stage at the age of 50 and, of her more than 10 plays, one of the most successful works Wednesday to Come to in Wellington in June 2005.

She has been involved with community theatre, the Broadsheet Collective, PEN, radio shows, programme organisation for the Globe Theatre in Dunedin, and with script writing for TV.

Renée teaches at the Whitireia Community Polytechnic graduate creative writing course and is completing her sixth novel. During the residency Renée will work on the first draft of a new play.