Te Awhirēinga (pictured on the left) says that her work is bold, disruptive, and challenges audiences with its raw directness. "We descend from generations who had their reo and culture stripped from them. As rangatahi, it is our duty to call out these wrongs." Photo taken by Craig Birch-Morunga.
Ko Whiria te maunga
Ko Taumarere te awa
Ko Ngāpuhi, Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, me Ngāti Hamoa oku iwi.
Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua toku waka
Ko Piki te Aroha toku marae
Ko Ngāti Hao toku hapu
Ko Te Awhirēinga Ahau
Ko Heperi toku ingoa whanau.
Pepehā of Te Awhirēinga Heperi
A last-minute entrant with a passion for poetry, an Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka student has given herself the opportunity to perform on the national stage.
Te Awhirēinga Heperi (Ngāpuhi, Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Hamoa) is a third year English student who won the recent Otago Poetry SLAM Champs 2025.
The Otago Poetry SLAM Champs is a part of the New Zealand Young Writer’s Festival in Ōtepoti. It brings together the most creative young poets in the region, providing a three minute opportunity for everyone to share their voice.
“My decision to enter was last-minute. I attended a SLAM workshop on the festival’s first morning, and with encouragement from my peers, I decided to give it a go,” Te Awhirēinga says.
“Public speaking isn’t my favourite thing, but it isn’t foreign either. Expressing myself through writing has always come naturally. I wrote stories as a kid, but over time, I gravitated towards poetry. I had written spoken word pieces before, yet the SLAM champs was my first time performing my work. It was exhilarating to see my words come to life.”
Te Awhirēinga says she always had an obsession with poetry growing up. Although she is new to performing poetry on stage, she has watched countless performances, and deeply resonates with the power behind poetry, to serve a purpose, share a message, and influence change.
“My poetry often explores themes of race, colonialism, and being Māori in a colonised Aotearoa. I write political and emotionally charged pieces with the intent to awaken the wronged and confront the complicit.
“My work is bold, disruptive, and challenges audiences with its raw directness. We descend from generations who had their reo and culture stripped from them. As rangatahi, it is our duty to call out these wrongs. We hold the power of the voices our tūpuna were denied; may we use it for rectification, for justice, for change.”
Having won the Otago regional SLAM competition, Te Awhirēinga now has the opportunity to perform on stage at a national level. She will travel to Wellington in November to compete at the 2025 New Zealand National Poetry Slam.
“Naturally, I’m feeling a bit nervous, but I have an incredible support network around me. I’m competing with the intention of spreading a message more than winning, a message of mana, resistance, and strength. There is nothing quite as mighty as an empowered people. Regardless of placing, there is no loss in uplifting Tangata Māori.”
Te Awhirēinga says attending Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka and accessing the support systems it provides has contributed to her success.
“The University has supported me along my writing journey. I’ve taken papers that have taught me valuable skills and perspectives, and I’ve received immense support from my peers, tutors, and lecturers alike. The people around me make my writing possible; there is endless thanks to be given.”
Kōrero by Brigham Riwai-Couch - Māori Communications Advisor
English and Linguistics
Studying English helps you read more deeply, in fiction, poetry and critical prose, and take in the sounds and signs of language in the world around you.
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