Latest news with #NewZealandPoetLaureate
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
‘Person and poet' to be celebrated
Poet and environmentalist Brian Turner at the Nevis River in February this year. PHOTO: SUPPLIED The late Brian Turner will be celebrated "as a person and a poet" at an event on National Poetry Day next Friday. American poet and writer Michael Harlow, who has called Central Otago home since 1968, had much to say about the feats of Brian Turner. "When I first came to New Zealand the first two poets I met were Lauris Edmond and Brian Turner and I thought 'this is great stuff'." Turner was the winner of the Montana New Zealand Book Award for Poetry in 1993, and was named New Zealand Poet Laureate 2003-2005, but Harlow said people in the North Island thought of Turner as a landscape poet. Harlow said while it was true Turner was a founding member of the Central Otago Environment Society, after a time "we thought it was time he was specifically recognised for his work — we called him the Poet Laureate of Nature." Sure enough, in November 2024, he was awarded the honorary title of Poet Laureate of Nature — a symbolic accolade, bestowed by the Central Otago Environmental Society to honour Turner's unwavering dedication to celebrating and protecting the natural world through his writing and his advocacy. Harlow has been given the task of gathering 12 poets together in one spot, for the event at the Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery, but it is the current leader of the Poetry Party Club, Ray Wright, who has done all the leg-work to organise the event. Harlow said as well as the poets, Turner's younger brother and cricketing great, Glenn, "has written a song that he is going to sing at the event". "On August 22 we will celebrate Brian as a person and a poet." Turner's partner Jillian Sullivan said she would read some of Brian's work and artist Sir Grahame Sydney will also be speaking. A short film of Brian by Declan Wong will be shown. "It has Brian at home and then reading some poems in the landscape. "It's very moving to see Brian on the screen and hear him again. I'll be in tears." Sullivan said she was grateful for people putting energy into celebrating Brian and his work. "His passion for the land and his meticulous, accessible and layered poems burn as strongly as ever and still speak to us and encourage us." Twelve poets from a group that knew Brian from the days when he was leader of the Poetry Party Club will also read poems to remember him by, to celebrate New Zealand's National Poetry Day. Harlow said he expected about 60 people to attend the 6.30pm event in Alexandra.
NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Auckland students undergo Champions for Compassion workshop to learn the power of empathy
Vayuu, 12, told the Herald the workshop has 'helped me understand others more and made me want to reach out and get to know different people'. Vice-principal Jacob Allison said their school saw the workshop 'as a valuable opportunity to invest in our student leaders by equipping them with the tools they need to thrive in their roles'. 'Students have said they've found the workshops really uplifting and positive.' The initiative, Champions for Compassion, is being led by Birkenhead local Marty Smith's registered charity Chefs for Compassion. It hosted another workshop at Rosmini College on Friday, and plans more in the future. 'When I started Chefs for Compassion, I thought about what I truly wanted my kids to learn - not just how to pass tests, but how to be decent, grounded people,' Smith said. 'That's where compassion came in. We're growing something that should be shared with as many students across the country as possible.' Founded in 2010, it provides extracurricular programmes for students, teaching them how to be compassionate through work in fast-paced, high-pressure environments and ways to give back to those less fortunate. The Champions for Compassion one-day workshops are organised by the charity and run by Auckland University's Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh, a distinguished Pasifika poet who was the New Zealand Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2019. The programme engages the 'Relationships With Other People' strand of the school curriculum to ensure the skills students are taught aid in their learning development. Vayuu said it was crucial for kids to learn how to be compassionate because it applies to all aspects of one's life. 'If you're ever unsure about how to act or what to say, you can think back to what you've learned and use that to help guide you.' Since taking part in the workshop, Vayuu said it's been easier to connect with others. 'I've started to notice more when someone's feeling left out or not being treated kindly. It's made me think more about how others might be feeling on the inside.' Allison said that Glenfield Intermediate was attracted to the programme's focus on service and giving back to the community, which aligned closely with the school's values. 'The theme of staying compassionate under pressure really resonated with us, it's a quality that benefits not just leaders, but all of us, especially when navigating challenging situations.' Students were given practical tools to help them steer their thoughts and actions from a place of kindness, with the importance of altruism, self-compassion and creating positive habits listed among the workshop's key takeaways. Allison acknowledged that the chance to meet and connect with role models like Marsh also gave students an opportunity that their school couldn't pass on. 'They've enjoyed how Selina runs the sessions and makes sure there's plenty of collaboration with students from other schools.' The workshop's hands-on, reflective activities were also a highlight, Allison said. 'Students stay really engaged and love how fun and meaningful the sessions are.' William, 12, praised the inclusion of biscuits at day's end the most, but agreed with Allison in how the tasks helped him consider the world differently. 'I really liked the activities we did, they weren't just random games; they actually had meaning and made you think and reflect.' Meanwhile, Taufa, 12, said learning these skills now would be invaluable down the line. 'Even while we're still at school, it helps with things like leadership opportunities and how we support each other.'
