Tauranga poet to attend international writing event

BANFF BOUND: Maori academic Te Kahu Rolleston has been selected to take part in a prestigious international writing programme. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

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.

Mr Rolleston now works teaching spoken word poetry at universities, schools and community classes.

He is the Kairanga Pao, uplifter of poetry, for the Toimata Foundation at Te Aho Tu Roa - a programme in te reo Maori working with kohanga/puna reo, kura, wharekura and communities to embrace Maori culture, language and wisdom.

"I visit schools to help them create pneumonic devices. This involves kids turning their school work into poetry to make it easier for them to learn."

As well as creating and delivering poetry resources and workshops for youth, Mr Rolleston also works with adults, often breaking down the misconceptions of poetry.

"There are a lot of people who think poetry is just soft but once they see my poetry they realise that's not always the case and you see the shift from 'not interested' to 'I want to do that' almost immediately," he said.

Mr Rolleston graduated from the University of Waikato in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours, double majoring in Maori and Pacific Development and Maori Media and Communications. He said this degree enabled him to stay true to te reo and Ngai Te Rangi but also explore other fields of interest.

"When I was young living in Tauranga, I always had it in my head that I was going to the University of Waikato. That was my goal."

Every year Canada's Banff Centre provides an opportunity for a Maori artist to participate in its annual indigenous dance and writing residency programmes. Creative New Zealand's support for this includes funding towards flights, accommodation, programme/tuition fees and meals.