Former Tauranga Boys' College student, Te Kahu Rolleston, loves words and their ability to inspire people. Now he's off to learn from the best at one of the world's leading arts and creativity hubs in Canada.
The spoken word poet and University of Waikato alumnus is heading to Canada for The Banff Centre's Indigenous Writing Programme, a joint initiative with Creative New Zealand.
The programme starts in September and involves two weeks of intensive writing at The Banff Centre followed by 10 weeks working with a mentor. Mr Rolleston will receive one-on-one editorial feedback from a faculty member and present an excerpt of his work in a reading and spoken word series.
Mr Rolleston is a national spoken word champion, winner of Aotearoa's National Poetry Slam competition last year, and has performed at events all over the country, spreading messages he feels strongly about.
"I create poetry that links people to people, and people to places. That's a big part of our Kaupapa because if you have respect for your people and the place you are in, there is nothing greater than that," he said.