Finding their voice: Pasifika students command the stage with slam poetry

On Saturday, six high schools from across Auckland converged for a spoken word poetry competition that gives young people a platform to express their voices on issues impacting them.

The annual Word - The Front Line event is organised by community advocacy group Action Education.

It is a unique platform where youth develop their poetry skills and confront the challenges facing their generation.

The event showcased a diverse range of talent, with passionate groups of Māori and Pasifika poets stepping forward year after year to share personal narratives about culture, race, and the unique pressures they face.

Action Education manager Raymon Narayan said such a space is significant for young people.

"These events are so important for young people. We often tell them their voices don't matter, but given the tools and the platform, their voices become everything," Narayan said.

He said the programme instils self-advocacy and confidence.

"We provide the tools they need to express themselves, to speak on the issues affecting them and their peers.

"It's about building a community around them, so they're not alone - they have a whole team amplifying their voices."

Poetry is healing

Fusi Puleiku, an English teacher from De La Salle College, highlighted the therapeutic impact that poetry has on her students.

"For many of our Māori and Pasifika boys, they come from cultures where they are natural orators.

"They find their voice through the vehicle of writing.

"The space is special because they are able to unpack the issues that they are burdened by."

Slamming the stereotypes

De La Salle's semi-final performance took aim at stereotypes linked to South Auckland, referencing controversial comments made by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in 2022.

When asked about tackling youth crime, Luxon had said, "If you're sitting in a garage in South Auckland with your two brothers and you're thinking about life and where you're going, consciously or unconsciously, the gang life looks pretty attractive."

Many Māori and Pasifika communities criticised Luxon's comments as out-of-touch, which the De La Salle team addressed in their poem.

"Can we stop blaming my home for every shitty thing that happens in Auckland?

"What about the great things that happen in South Auckland garages? 1999, the birth of Dawn Raid entertainment, in a South Auckland garage.

"In 2012, Tanu Gago's award winning painting named Daniel; in a South Auckland garage.

"In 2024, my brothers and I are planning for greatness, in a South Auckland garage."

A woman's world?

Pasifika students' Teresa To'a, Felicia To'a, Tapusalaia Joyce Pesamino Afoa, and Lesieli Ahokava from Auckland Girls' Grammar tackled the complexities of identity, addressing the pressures of womanhood, third-generation struggles, and the challenges of cultural disconnection.

In her solo performance, Teresa quoted the Tongan phrase, "Holo pe tu'u he ko e ngalu e fasi" or "Stand firm and the waves will break", symbolising the strength to withstand cultural displacement.

"The poem is about Tonga…and not knowing your culture, not by your own choice, but past generational choices.

"I struggle with my cultural identity and not knowing my roots, but the poem goes through a journey of not knowing it, then reclaiming it and making my own roots here in New Zealand."

Across all performances, the resilience and pride of Māori and Pasifika youth shone through - voices grounded in tradition and shaped by lived experience.