New poet laureate announced

Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh is New Zealand's new poet laureate.

New Zealand's new poet laureate is a woman on a mission.

Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh, who travelled to London last year to read a poem to the Queen, wants more of us reading, writing and performing poetry - starting with her three sons, Javan, 18, Micah, 17 and Davey, 15.

"They're rugby league addicts and when I say, 'what do I have to do to get you to try poetry?' they say, 'get Sonny Bill Williams to write a poem then we'll read it'."

On yesterday's National Poetry Day, Marsh was named as the country's new poet laureate, the 11th writer to be appointed to the position by the National Library of New Zealand. The poet laureate represents our poets, promotes and advocates for poetry and produces published works during their two year tenure.

"It feels quite remarkable; I'm very humbled and honoured to have the type of work I do recognised in this way. It's incredibly affirming; a wonderful opportunity to extend the poetic page and stage to this nation's multi-coloured, multi-hued voices."

Marsh, an Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, receives $80,000 to carry out the work as well as a carved tokotoko, or orator's stick, symbolising authority and status.

She was wasting no time getting started. As she spoke with the Weekend Herald, Marsh was preparing for the launch of her latest book, Tightrope, and discussed an idea to get our elite athletes, including the likes of Sonny Bill Williams, in a writing workshop with the aim of producing a book.

The first Pacific Islander to graduate with a PhD in English from Auckland University, she's had poetry featured in more than 70 national and international publications and websites and written three of her own collections. Last year, as the Commonwealth Poet, she was wrote performed a poem before the Queen at the Commonwealth Day Observance in Westminster Abbey; in February, she was awarded the Honorary Literary Fellow by the NZ Society of Authors.

Despite the numerous awards and accolades, Marsh says she likes to break down barriers to appreciating poetry and move away from the elitism associated with certain kinds. Since 2005, she's has participated in more than 140 poetry performances, led around 110 community workshops and spoken at more than 45 schools. Community and school appearances help her to keep an ear to the ground.

"It helps me to keep it real," she says. "Humanity came from an oral tradition and the power of the embodied word is strong. I think everyone has the power to tap into that tradition but we're a thinking and a writing culture; a speaking one, not so much which means there's a lot of untapped talent and potential around that.

'"Samoans have the to'oto'o, the orator's staff, a symbol of the authority to speak on behalf of a group. To be recognised in this way is breath-taking. To occupy the role is breath-giving - I can't wait to take the Laureate's tokotoko to the people and make poetry."

Our first poet Laureate was Bill Manhire in 1996 and the outgoing Laureate for 2015-17 is C.K Stead. Stead says each poet laureate brings their own personality, influenced by the style of poetry they write.

"If poetry is important, then it's good to have a poet laureate because it's another way of drawing attention to the fact that poetry exists by giving it a public face," he says. "To me, it's the most demanding and satisfying of the literary art forms."