For her new project ‘The Good Uncle’, Rosetta is the recipient of a 2025 Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) and New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa PEN NZ Inc (NZSA) Research Grant.

The Good Uncle, a novel in development, explores the pull of generational loyalty through the story of a woman determined to save her brother from relapse – and from the grip of a charismatic uncle with a criminal past.

Set between the Kaipara Harbour and inner-city Auckland, the novel navigates buried secrets, personal agency, and the long shadow of familial harm. With support from the CLNZ | NZSA Research Grant, which I am very grateful for, I’ll be deepening my research into addiction recovery, family justice systems, and the emotional aftermath of intergenerational trauma.

The 2025 judging panel said – “this literary fiction project about whānau set in the Kaipara offers insight upon navigating bureaucracy and personal trauma. The applicant offered an extensive and cogent outline of grant use including Environmental Fieldwork at the Kaipara Harbour and Urban and Systemic Research in Auckland (CYF/Oranga Tamariki offices, Family Court etc). The resulting novel will undoubtedly be authentic and impactful.”