Upon being awarded the 2023 Tauranga Spirit of the SLAM Award, Te-Aroha said: "This award was most unexpected. A real privilege. I’ve enjoyed writing for years, but spent much of life procrastinating. Who knows I might’ve been published. However, rather than sitting around singing my “coulda, Shoulda, woulda’s I decided to put my work out there and see what happens. Entering this competition was part of that. This year I felt my ‘Standing In For The G.G.’ would be a fun departure from my previous more serious entries, and look what happened. I can’t wait to see what other writing ops are out there."
Discover the ways that you can get involved in the poetry community and support our Aotearoa poets.
