Selina Tusitala Marsh – first ever Commonwealth Poet Laureate

By Ōtepoti He Puna Auaha | Dunedin UNESCO City Of Literature | Posted: Friday Jul 04, 2025

Notable New Zealand poet and academic Selina Tusitala Marsh ONZM, FRSNZ has been announced as the first Commonwealth Poet Laureate.

The professor of English at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland is a former New Zealand Poet Laureate and award-winning writer, known for her three collections of poetry and, most recently, her best-selling children’s graphic memoir series Mophead.

The appointment, the first in the 75-year history of the Commonwealth of Nations, will run until 31 May 2027 and involve Marsh crafting original poems for flagship Commonwealth events, including Commonwealth Day, the Commonwealth People’s Forum, and Ministerial and Heads of Government Meetings.

She will also advise on the Commonwealth Foundation’s creative programming – the principal agency for Commonwealth culture – and will appear in person at the Commonwealth People’s Forum and Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua & Barbuda in 2026.

Marsh, who is of Sāmoan, Tuvaluan, English, Scottish and French heritage, says she is “deeply honoured” to accept the role.

“In Samoan, we say, O le tele o sulu e maua ai figota. ‘The more torches we have, the more fish we can catch.’ Poetry is our torch, illuminating paths between our diverse cultures and histories.”

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