Selina Tusitala Marsh Appointed Inaugural Commonwealth Poet Laureate
The professor of English at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland is a former New Zealand Poet Laureate and award-winning writer, known for her three collections of poetry and most recently, her bestselling children's graphic memoir series Mophead.
The appointment, the first in the 75-year history of the Commonwealth of Nations, will run until 31 May 2027 and involve Marsh crafting original poems for flagship Commonwealth events, including Commonwealth Day, the Commonwealth People's Forum and Ministerial and Heads of Goverment Meetings.
She will also advise on the Commonwealth Foundation's creative programming – the principal agency for Commonwealth culture – and will appear in person at the Commonwealth People's Forum and Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua & Barbuda in 2026.
Marsh, who is of Samoan, Tuvaluan, English, French and Scottish heritage, says she is "deeply honoured" to accept the role.
'In Samoan, we say, O le tele o sulu e maua ai figota. 'The more torches we have, the more fish we can catch'. Poetry is our torch, illuminating paths between our diverse cultures and histories.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
'The Māori proverb goes 'He toi whakairo, he mana tangata'; 'Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity.' This profound truth guides my vision for this role. Through the elevation of our creative voices, we affirm our shared humanity across the Commonwealth.
'When we honour the artistry within our communities, whether it flows from Samoa, my mother's island, or New Zealand, where I was born and grew up, we recognise the inherent dignity and worth of every person whose story deserves to be told.'
She remembers back to the moment in 2016 when she recited one of her poems at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in front of the late Queen Elizabeth II and other dignitaries.
'Her Majesty charged me with fostering unity through verse, and I felt the weight and wonder of words that bridge worlds. Today, I accept this torch with alofa (love) and renewed commitment to amplify the voices that heal, challenge, and unite our Commonwealth family. Together, we will kindle more torches, casting light on the stories that connect us all, celebrating the artistic excellence that affirms our collective human dignity.'
University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater is delighted to see one of the University's staff honoured in such a significant way.
'Selina is an absolute treasure in the University of Auckland community. She gives so generously of her creativity and time, both on Campus and in the wider community. We are so lucky to work with her, and we're deeply proud she has been honoured in this way," she says.
"She will do the University, Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific proud, as well as being a vital voice for the humanities. In times of global uncertainty, it's the humanities that help us make sense of complexity, preserve culture, and imagine better futures.'
Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation Dr Anne T. Gallagher, who made the inaugural appointment, says it places creative expression at the heart of the Commonwealth's work.
'It is through poetry that we can learn best about ourselves and each other. Poetry helps us make sense of our fragile world. It is the language of love and dreams, the language of despair and desire, of protest and rebellion.'
Gallagher says that at the Commonwealth, they have come to understand that poetry – and creativity in all its forms – is not an embellishment of the Commonwealth story but a catalyst for justice, understanding, and hope.
'Selina Tusitala Marsh embodies that truth. Her poetry travels effortlessly from the smallest community to the global stage: illuminating the concerns and aspirations of our 2.7 billion citizens and challenging all of us to listen more closely. There could be no finer inaugural Commonwealth Poet Laureate.'
Selina Tusitala Marsh was the first Pacific person to earn a PhD in English from the University of Auckland. She lectures in Pacific poetry and creative writing in the University's department of English and Drama and is the co-director of the University's Centre for Arts and Social Transformation (CAST), which promotes arts-led approaches to justice, health and well-being.
Marsh's three acclaimed poetry collections are Fast Talking PI, Dark Sparring and Tightrope, all published by Auckland University Press, as well as the multi-award-winning graphic memoir series Mophead, which she also illustrated.
In 2019, she was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. She was New Zealand's Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2019.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
17 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Obituary: DJ Mu, the producer and pulse beat of Fat Freddy's Drop
CHRISTOPHER TA'ALOGA FAIUMU Musician Chris Faiumu was not a singer, nor did he play an instrument, However, the founder and creative force behind Fat Freddy's Drop, one of New Zealand's most successful bands, fundamentally shaped not only the direction of his band, but also the distinctive sound of this country's music. Once a country of jangling guitars, the man known as DJ Mu was at the forefront of dub reggae and Pacific sounds rising to the top of the country's charts. It was a sound he then took to the world, Fat Freddy's Drop touring almost annually to the northern hemisphere where the band played to thousands each night and sold tens of thousands of records. Mu's presence was intrinsic to the band. That's not just because of the imposing figure he cut on stage as he hunched over his MPC sampler, but also because Fat Freddy's songs were built on the musical foundations he put down. Though the group achieved massive popularity, not just in this country but throughout Australasia, Europe and North America, Fat Freddy's Drop never signed to a major label, instead running the group as an independent collective managed by Mu's partner Nicole Duckworth. The independent spirit carried over to their music. Never consciously commercial, their music grew out of jam sessions, often based on a rhythmic pattern or bassline Mu had created on his Akai MPC sampler. Yet their performances were like an invitation to be part of a communal experience, and people would flock to see them at concerts and festivals. Christopher Ta'Aloga Faiumu grew up in Wainuiomata, Wellington, the fifth child of Samoan immigrant parents. An older sister had a collection of '70s soul records which he would later come to treasure, but his tastes were initially formed by his brothers, who were into rock — Santana, Hendrix, Neil Young. His parents had made a conscious decision to give their children "an education outside Wainuiomata' and his brothers were sent to Te Aute College in Hawke's Bay, but Chris opted to go to Scots College in Wellington because it was closer to home. "I'm sure I freaked them out,' he recalled. "One, I was Samoan and brown, and two, I was also much larger than everyone else, though a few rugby coaches there embraced that.' The boys at Scots all called each other by their surnames but as they found his difficult to pronounce they abbreviated it to Mu, and the nickname stuck. At school he began his music collection — cassettes at first, followed by vinyl. After completing school he spent a year in the army, thinking he might become an officer, but though he "had a ball ... abseiling out of a helicopter and blowing up a tank' it became apparent neither he nor the army had found what they were looking for. He enrolled in a bachelor of science at Victoria University, but his curiosity was piqued by music blasting out of a room on the top floor of the Student Union Building. This, he discovered, was the studio of the campus station Radio Active. When he summoned the courage to ask the station manager about the possibility of doing some DJing he was asked, "Well, what are you doing right now?". Five minutes later he was on the air. By the late 1980s he had accumulated a formidable record collection and was being asked to DJ at parties. In the '90s he became part of the Funky Monks, a DJ collective specialising in soul, funk and hip-hop. Around the same time he helped form the Roots Foundation, another group of DJs with a reggae focus. Itwas through dub reggae that he began to develop ideas and skills in the production and manipulation of sound. DJing in Wellington bars like Bodega and Matterhorn led to late-night jam sessions with musicians, Mu supplying the beats. He progressed from playing beats directly off vinyl to producing his own rhythms on an Akai Music Production Centre (MPC) sampler. Out of these jams grew the sprawling and amorphous Bongmaster, which in turn spawned Fat Freddy's Drop, formed with singer Dallas Tamaira and trumpeter Toby Laing. Their first album Live at the Matterhorn was simply a live show recorded to minidisc, given a little editing by Mu. It immediately sold 9000 copies. Their debut studio album Based On a True Story, released in 2005, was a more sophisticated affair, recorded at The Drop, the studio Mu had built in his Lyall Bay home. It went gold immediately, became the longest album by a New Zealand act to stay at number one — 10 weeks — and the group cleaned up at that year's New Zealand Music Awards. The group toured Europe for the first time in 2003, and began a schedule of making records and touring in Australasia and Europe which would continue for the next 20 years. They developed a distinctive and original style that drew on reggae, funk, jazz and electronica but also reflected the group's Pacific origins. Mu had friends and fans all over the world, but his home base continued to be on Wellington's south coast where he lived with Nicole and their daughter Mia. Like the music he made, he had a deep sense of roots, and he always came home. A quiet and gentle giant, Mu was generous with his time and worked with many aspiring and established bands, earning their great respect. His sudden death on July 16 aged 54 devastated the New Zealand music scene and reverberated across the world. — Nick Bollinger/Mike Houlahan
The Spinoff
a day ago
- The Spinoff
Pacific profiles: The guardians of the Rainbow Fale
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Jazriel Lavakula, Mela Meilin Ta'avao and Penni Wolfgramm of the Rainbow Fale. All photos by Geoffery Matautia. On a busy Thursday lunchtime, I sat with Jazriel Lavakula, Mela Meilin Ta'avao and Dr Penni Wolfgramm of the Village Collective's Rainbow Fale. At their vibrant office in the heart of Manukau City Centre, the dynamic trio spoke warmly about their work to empower Pacific Rainbow/MVPAFF+ young people, their families, and the wider community. Mela: Talofa lava, I'm Mela Meilin Taovao. I'm from the villages of Faleapuna and Nofoali'i in Samoa, Ava'tele in Niue and Guangdong in China. I'm the eldest of six, a proud Christian girl, a dog mum and a youth worker at the Village Collective's Rainbow Fale. Penni: My name is Penni Wolfgramm. I'm Tongan from the villages of 'Utungake and Fungamisi, Vava'u, Niuatoputapu, Niutoua and Kolonga, Tongatapu. I'm proudly born and raised in Māngere, one of six children, and from a strong Catholic family. I serve alongside Jazriel and Mela, and I also work as the Pacific Rainbows+ People's lead for the Ministry of Pacific Peoples, and I'm a clinical psychologist for the Village Collective. Jazriel: I'm Samoan and Niuean, from the villages of Fasito'o uta and Alofi/Liku. I'm 30, born and bred in Papatoetoe, one of six siblings. I've been here for four years as a youth worker. I'm also a House Mother for the House of De' Lamour with 13 children. Outside of work, I enjoy performing as a drag performer and lip-syncer. How would you each describe the work of the Rainbow Fale? Penni: The Village Collective is a community organisation established in 1997, formerly known as FLEP (Family Life Education Pasifika). The lifeblood of this work we owe to pioneers, including the late Siaosi George Mulipola, Edward Cowley (Buckwheat), and Linda Lepou. Broadly, it's an organisation dedicated to the health and wellbeing of Pacific youth, their families and communities. Three fale fall under the Collective: there's Tala Vou for Pacific youth, the community fale supporting community efforts that drive Pacific wellbeing, and the Rainbow fale, which is a lighthouse for our rainbow/MVPAFF+ communities. The Rainbow Fale has been around since 2015, and it's dedicated to supporting the aspirations of Pacific rainbow youth and, more recently, adults. Jazriel:. Every week, we visit high schools in South Auckland and create spaces and activities for students to feel included and be themselves. We run workshops around identity, sexual orientation and healthcare and help guide them around navigating healthy relationships and cultural values. When I was in school, we didn't have organisations coming in to help us – we only had the older divas at our school to lean on. In August, we'll be releasing a documentary series – La Mepa pathways – showing five Pacific families that have raised a rainbow child or family member and capturing their stories and journeys. What drew you into this work? Mela: For me, it's a full circle moment getting to do the work that Siaosi, Linda and Edward pioneered alongside Jazriel. I love our in-school Matala programme (matala means to bloom in Samoan), because we see our young people as flowers blossoming into the world. We're there to nurture them into their fullest potential. Jazriel: I was inspired by the work of Phylesha Brown Acton, a Niuean fakafifine activist. I always wanted to be like her. She's my inspiration to be an advocate for rainbow Pasifika people and to work with young people. Penni: I didn't know the term trans existed until my late 20s. I owe that to how I grew up and the lack of role models and visibility. I never in my wildest dreams thought I could work in rainbow-focused roles. The homecoming for me was my PhD research into the experiences of leitī in Auckland. I see it as this wonderful rolling of waves where I've finally found a vocation I want to do for the rest of my life. You mentioned that the Rainbow Fale now runs initiatives for adults. What prompted that? Jazriel: Even though we are a youth organisation, we like to cater to our older generations, too. In 2020, we started Vahine Lei, which is a space for us older ones to meet monthly. It's a peer support system as we all work in different fields. Penni: For our community, it's not uncommon to be the only rainbow person in your workplace. The wonderful thing about Vahine Lei is that it's a space that serves as an antidote to the oppressive things happening sociopolitically. We can put it on the fala (mat) and talk it through. Even though we're older, our identities aren't consolidated. It's an ongoing journey. Our communities are very good at suppressing and repressing, and this space lets us talanoa. Nothing is left unsaid. We also bring our youth programmes and Vahine Lei together to encourage intergenerational sharing of knowledge, wisdom and resilience, in the vein of Tuakana/Teina relationships that exist across the moana. There is no doubt that spaces like these are vital. Could you speak to the necessity and urgency of having culturally specific Rainbow spaces right now? Penni: The experiences of being Pasifika and Rainbow are very unique. One in 25 Pacific peoples identify as Rainbow/MVPAFF+. There are challenges we face nationally and globally, but so often it's in our families, too. In a time when it can feel oppressive to wake up and just be, these serve as spaces of love and connection. We are Pacific first and foremost. For far too long, we have lived in the inbetween. Pacific peoples don't accept us, and the rainbow communities don't accept us. This liminal space is where we find safe havens. What sparks joy in your work? Mela: For me, it's getting to work with our young people. I've only been here a year and I'm still learning in this role, so there's lots to do. I also like being able to run professional development training with organisations on how to foster care for our people. Jazriel: Like Mela, I love going into schools every day and seeing the beautiful faces of the next generation. They always lift my spirits. Recently, we organised the Matala Ball, and it was great to see my workspace interconnect with my ballroom family. Penni: Honestly, it's seeing Mela and Jazriel's leadership come through and being able to share the joy of their work. I love seeing them blossom in their roles. Q: What are your aspirations, professionally and personally? Mela: First up, more accessible gender-affirming care for our young people. And I know it sounds cliché, but I want to exist in a more loving world. Jazz: It'd be great to have a bigger team and see more of our people in the community doing this line of work. I also want to continue in my advocacy nationally and internationally. Penni: I want to see a world where being Pacific and Rainbow/MVPAFF+ is much more normalised, celebrated and part of the fabric of what it means to be Pacific. For our Pacific leaders, both politically and in our communities, I want to see them wield their power responsibly and not hide their love for us. Let the love for us be loud! This is Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ On Air.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Samoan director celebrates debut feature film success
Pacific arts 23 minutes ago New Zealand-based Samoan director, Miki Magasiva's debut feature film "Tina" has pipped iconic Whale Rider at the box office to become the fifth most successful Kiwi film.
