Words in Motion: Māori and Pacific poetry takes crowd on a shared waka

In the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, a line-up of Māori and Pacific poets is ready to turn the Basement Theatre into a waka (vehicle/vessel) of words, culture, and connection.

Words in Motion, a three-night poetry showcase curated by multimedia publisher Tagata Atamai, is designed to lift Māori and Pacific voices in a publishing industry where they remain a stark minority.

For founder Danielle Kionasina Thomson (Falealili, Falelatai - Sāmoa, Welsh), a writer, journalist, teacher, Words in Motion is an act of “active remembrance”.

“Some stats came out recently that in terms of publishing, we still only make up such a minority of the upu (words) that are published in Aotearoa,” Thomson tells Island Time.

Māori and Pacific people make up 26.7 per cent of the population, yet industry reports from 2024 highlight that indigenous language titles account for just 1.8 per cent of the local market volume.

In commercial trade fiction, Māori and Pacific authors occupy less than seven per cent of shelf space.

Watch Danielle Kionasina Thomson's full interview below.

However, the tide is starting to turn through targeted interventions. Thomson’s showcase joins systemic shifts such as the Tala: Sharing Pacific Stories initiative and the Penguin Random House Māori and Pacific Publishing Scholarship.

“I think that as a way to connect to our ancestral wisdom, to find each other, and ways of reconnecting, I think that storytelling is a really powerful way to do that,” Thomson says.

“I just wanted to create opportunities for more people to come along on the waka with me.”

The event also honours tuakana-teina (mentor-mentee relationship). Established poets like Grace Iwashita-Taylor, Rewa Fowles, Elise Sadlier, and Ruby Macomber will perform alongside emerging voices.

In an interview with Thomson, Iwashita-Taylor spoke on what it means to mentor emerging poets.

“It was really amazing watching other people come into their body with their own voice and their poem, and seeing them being empowered and assert their own agency in those spaces,” she said.

As a proud Afakasi (person of mixed Pacific and other heritage), Thomson says the poetry performed in Words in Motion reflects the reality of the diaspora, a language where English flows into words of the Moana.

“I find that through storytelling, through poetry specifically, I am able to speak to my ancestors and they are able to respond,” she says.

“Basically, it’s ambitious in the sense that for one night at a time, we get to create the world that we really wish that we walked in every day.

“In terms of resistance, there's a lot that we need to do to just reinstill that our languages, our cultures, our lived experiences are valuable.”

Words in Motion promises to break the quiet of traditional poetry readings. Instead, it is leaning on indigenous oratorical traditions.

Thomson encourages audience participation to create a shared, spiritual experience for every performance.

“Because this is a Māori and Pacific event…there is a lot of audience participation. I think it takes us to a very spiritual place for that one hour.”

Thomson says that as the creative landscape across the motu shifts, indigenous storytellers continue to stand as pillars of resistance. Their work isn’t just a show, but an invitation to board a waka fuelled by authenticity.

Words in Motion runs from 19 to 21 March at Auckland’s Basement Theatre. It is a “Choose What You Pay” ticketed show.