Poetry Night in Dunedin - 10 June 2026

By Octagon Poetry Collective - Mac MacDonald | Posted: Wednesday Jun 17, 2026

Poet and Octagon Poetry Collective committee member extraordinaire, Mac MacDonald, shares highlights from their latest poetry reading:

BEING IS AN ACT OF RECLAMATION

In association with UNESCO City of Literature Dunedin and the New Athenaeum Theatre, the Octagon Poetry Collective hosted their most recent monthly poetry night at the New Athenaeum Theatre in Dunedin on June 10. MC, Jackson, welcomed what turned out be an energetic and at times raucous (in a good way) crowd of fifty-one poets and supporters. Feature Poets were Te Awhirēinga Heperi and Jilly O'Brien.

A large open mic contingent complained of not enough windows, took deadly poison, wanted a second opinion, told of batons and rape, and sought solace in the garden shed only to be drawn out by Nature and her boundless caprice. Another had their palm read in Hindi, which was then translated into English with an American accent by Chat GP via a mobile phone, and finally, as you would expect, offered as payment for a physiotherapy session!

Jilly O’Brien entertained with tales of the Plain Biscuit Powhiri (2 plain biscuits per attendee), the comically deficient two chair policy at the parent/teacher evening at a school with a large Pacifika role, and a cynical Irish land grab benefiting a select few of the privileged class for which the only party found guilty was the humble potato!

Te Awhirēinga Heperi listened to the whenua, cleared out colonial plaque, planted stories between her teeth, waited for them to grow, and warned of the danger presented by pearly white teeth. They are only pearly white until they bite. “Tihae mauri fucking ora!” For Te Awhirēinga, simply being is an act of reclamation.

The next Octagon Poetry Collective Poetry Night will be at held at 7pm, July 8, at the New Athenaeum Theatre in the Octagon, Dunedin.

Feature Poets: Jordan Irvine and Jenna Heller.

MC: Jasmine OM Taylor.

Everyone welcome.