Raybon Kan is a New Zealand comedian and newspaper columnist.
Hone Peneamine Anatipa Te Pona Tuwhare was a noted Māori New Zealand poet. He is closely associated with The Catlins in the Southland region of New Zealand, where he lived for the latter part of his life.
William Manhire is a New Zealand poet, short story writer, emeritus professor, and New Zealand's inaugural Poet Laureate (1997–1998). He founded New Zealand's first creative writing course at Victoria University of Wellington in 1975, founded the International Institute of Modern Letters in 2001, and has been a strong promoter of New Zealand literature and poetry throughout his career. Many of New Zealand's leading writers graduated from his courses at Victoria. He has received many notable awards including a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in 2007 and an Arts Foundation Icon Award in 2018.
Jennifer Mary Bornholdt is a New Zealand poet and anthologist. She was New Zealand's Poet Laureate in 2005-2007.
Patrick Macgillicuddy Alexander was an Irish-born poet who settled in Australia. Alexander was the son of Hugh Alexander, the Anglo-Irish mathematician famed for his work on the German Enigma machine at Bletchley Park during World War II. Born in Dublin, Dublin (County), Ireland he studied to be an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London and moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1960.
Donna Tusiata Avia is a New Zealand poet and children's author. She has been recognised for her work through receiving a 2020 Queen's Birthday Honour and in 2021 her collection The Savage Coloniser won the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. The Savage Coloniser and her previous work Wild Dogs Under My Skirt have been turned into live stage plays presented in a number of locations.
Miriam Barr is a New Zealand page and performance poet.
Karlo Estelle Mila is a New Zealand writer and poet of Tongan, Pālagi and Samoan descent. Her first collection, Dream Fish Floating, received the NZSA Jessie Mackay Award for Best First Book of Poetry in 2006 at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards. She has subsequently published two further poetry collections, A Well Written Body (2008) and Goddess Muscle (2020), the latter of which was longlisted for the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry.
Robert Sullivan is a Māori poet, academic and editor. His published poetry collections include Jazz Waiata (1990), Star Waka (1999) and Shout Ha! to the Sky (2010). His books have a postmodern quality and "explore social and racial subjects, and aspects of Māori tradition and history."
Graeme John Nesbitt was a music, arts and radio promoter from New Zealand. He was involved in the development and founding of cultural events in New Zealand including the New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Summer City in Wellington and the New Zealand Music Awards.
Audrey Teuki Teupuariki Tuioti Brown-Pereira is a Cook Islands diplomat, public servant, and poet, of Cook Islands, Maori and Samoan descent.
Bill Direen is a musician and poet. He manages the music group Bilders and lives in Otago, New Zealand.
Daren (DK) Kamali is a Fijian-born New Zealand poet, writer, musician, and teacher and museum curator.
The New Zealand Fringe Festival is an open access arts festival in Wellington, New Zealand held over several weeks in February and March each year. The 2024 programme marks the festival's 34th anniversary.
Lynda Chanwai-Earle is a New Zealand writer and radio producer. Her written work includes plays, poems and film scripts. The play Ka Shue – Letters Home in 1996 is semi-autobiographical and is significant in New Zealand literature as the first authentically New Zealand–Chinese play for mainstream audiences.
Jean Betts is a New Zealand playwright, actor and director.
Grace Teuila Taylor is a New Zealand spoken word poet, writer, performer and director of Samoan and Palagi heritage. In 2008, Taylor was the recipient of the Auckland Writers Festival Poetry Idol Award. In 2012, she was given the World of Difference award from The Vodafone New Zealand Foundation. In 2014, she was awarded the Emerging Pacific Artist award at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards.
Australian Poetry Slam is an annual poetry slam competition run within Australia. Contestants of all ages, experiences and talents perform live and are judged by the audience to determine the best both locally and nationally through a succession of heats and finals. It is run in the style of an "open slam" in which anyone is able to register to perform. Events are typically hosted by the previous year's Australian Poetry Slam Champion or another established performing writer.
Anna Jackson is a New Zealand poet, fiction and non-fiction writer and an academic.
Suli Moa is a New Zealand playwright, actor, screenwriter and teacher of Tongan descent. He wrote and performed the first Tongan Play in New Zealand, Kingdom of Lote. As a playwright Moa has been awarded the Adam New Zealand Play Award for Best Pacific Play, 12th Round (2016), and Tales of a Princess (2018). Moa's acting credits include A love yarn (2021) andSweet Tooth (2021). His writing credits include The Panthers (2021) and Shortland Street (2021-2022). Moa has also appeared in multiple short films as an actor and served as a cultural advisor.
