(CNN) An asylum seeker who won Australia's richest literary prizes while being detained by the country has been granted entry to New Zealand.

Behrouz Boochani spent over six years held by Australia in Papua New Guinea, most of the time in an Australian facility on the remote Manus Island.

"I just arrived in New Zealand," he tweeted on Thursday. "So exciting to get freedom after more than six years."

Boochani, an Iranian Kurd, attempted to enter Australia by boat in 2013, prompting his indefinite detention as an 'Irregular Maritime Arrival.'

Amnesty International said it assisted in securing a 30-day visa for Boochani to enter New Zealand where he will speak at a literary festival.