Te Kahu Rolleston runs poetry workshops with Drama, Kapa Haka and junior ākonga at Orewa College.

Students explore creative writing with a leading voice in spoken word

Renowned spoken word poet Te Kahu Rolleston visited Orewa College to lead a day of creative writing workshops. Held in the school library, the sessions brought together Drama, Kapa Haka and Year 7 and 8 ākonga for a fresh take on storytelling.

Each group experienced a unique workshop with Te Kahu guiding students through the process of writing and performing their own spoken word pieces.

The poems created reflected the energy in the room. Year 11 student Chloe Goodall wrote: “Peace is picturing silence behind closed eyes, peace is knowing when to cut all ties. Peace is when you know you can take your mask off, peace is when you know you were cut from the same cloth…”

As one of Aotearoa’s most respected slam poets and educators, Te Kahu is known for connecting deeply with young people and encouraging creativity through te ao Māori and personal storytelling.

Photo credit: Fiona Smith-Pilling, Mary Ellis