It is with a heavy heart that Action Education mourns and celebrates the incredible and beautiful life of Jess Rayner. Jess passed away, peacefully and surrounded by those she loved, on Monday night 9 June 2025. Jess was a much treasured and loved alumni of Action Education. She was vivacious, fearless and tuff. She was not here to muck around, but to own mics and set stages and rooms ablaze with her wit and laughter. Jess’s journey with cancer was brief, but so courageous. We hear that she remained graceful throughout, staying positive at all times, and somehow managing to be the calmest person in the room despite being the one facing the hardest challenges. If you would like to donate in support of her family during this time, please send any koha to 06-0217-0987061-03 (account name: Marcus Mackenzie). If you knew Jess and would like details of her service, please message us directly.

Stand Up Poetry is back out South with a double feature 🎤 SUP open mic nights make spoken word poetry relevant and accessible by providing a public platform for emerging spoken word poets. Open mic is open to all styles, ages and backgrounds. Bring a poem, friend, verse or just yourself! Sign up on the day. This is an uncensored space but hate speech free. 📅 Wednesday 18th June 📍 Youthline Manukau, 145 Saint George Street, Papatoetoe ⏰ 7pm Noah Brown, Artist Name: BRDG3 is a WTFL Alumni and De La Salle Old Boy where he began his poetry journey back in 2019. Now he is a multidisciplinary creative who’s art focuses around his community and culture as the backbone of all he does. Vitinia is a Fijian-Niuean sister and creative from South Auckland with roots in theatre, spoken word, music, and cultural performance. From school plays to Polyfest leadership, international showcases to youth poetry coaching, her journey is grounded in storytelling and community. A Southside Navigator since 2022, the Te Karanga Trust programme has helped shape her music path. Since debuting last year, she’s performed seven shows and is steadily building her presence as a live artist, with her debut project which has been released this week, ‘SHILOH’. Streaming everywhere 🎧

🚨 MERCHANDISE DROP! 🚨 Last year we reached out to our community, and you came through. With your support Action Ed was able to navigate one of the most difficult periods in our organization’s history. It was not just our Raisley account that received help. Thanks to merchandise sales, and some generous private donations, we are much closer to our 2025 goal $15,000 than it seems. But we are not out of the woods yet… We are extending the timeline to 30th June! To help us get there, we have some brand new, EXCLUSIVE MERCHANDISE, designed by award winning, Indigenous North American Artist and friend of Action Ed. We have 6 different designs that feature Action Ed’s beautiful new brand patterns. $75 for a shirt $130.00 for a full set Check out the link in the bio for details! 👕

Ia Manuia le Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa 🇼🇸 Happy Samoan Language week! The theme for this year is 'Ia malu lou sā. Folau i lagimā – A well-grounded self, is a successful self.' We celebrate this week with a beautiful poem written and performed by Naomi from Slice Of Southside 2023. #GaganaSamoa #SamoanLanguageWeek2025

Last nights Stand Up Poetry featuring @koromikoz was incredible! We packed in @studioone.toitu. Such a range of styles and stories. The mic was warm even the weather wasn’t. If you’re keen to share make sure to keep an eye out for our next SUP coming up soon.

Action Education is excited to celebrate Youth Week, which is a nationwide festival of events organized by young New Zealanders to celebrate the talents, passion and success of local young people. The 2025 Theme is Take Our Place – Whai Wāhitanga. Youth Week aims to amplify young people’s valuable contributions to their communities. We want Aotearoa to be a country where young people are vibrant and optimistic who are supported and encouraged to take up challenges. We will be posting a poem everyday from incredible young people in our community taking their place and making positive change! To round off Youth Week NZ 2025, we have Zayed College For Girls at Slice Of Southside 2024! #YouthWeekNZ25 #aotearoa #spokenword #poetrycommunity #indigenous

Action Education is excited to celebrate Youth Week, which is a nationwide festival of events organized by young New Zealanders to celebrate the talents, passion and success of local young people. The 2025 Theme is Take Our Place – Whai Wāhitanga. Youth Week aims to amplify young people’s valuable contributions to their communities. We want Aotearoa to be a country where young people are vibrant and optimistic who are supported and encouraged to take up challenges. We will be posting a poem everyday from incredible young people in our community taking their place and making positive change! Next up, we have a beautiful poem written and performed by Ngā Hinepūkōrero. #YouthWeekNZ25 #aotearoa #spokenword #maori #poetrycommunity #indigenous

Action Education is excited to celebrate Youth Week, which is a nationwide festival of events organized by young New Zealanders to celebrate the talents, passion and success of local young people. The 2025 Theme is Take Our Place – Whai Wāhitanga. Youth Week aims to amplify young people’s valuable contributions to their communities. We want Aotearoa to be a country where young people are vibrant and optimistic who are supported and encouraged to take up challenges. We will be posting a poem everyday from incredible young people in our community taking their place and making positive change! Next up, we have a powerful poem written and performed by our 2021 Word - The Front Line Champions from Marcellin College. #YouthWeekNZ25 #aotearoa #spokenword #maori #poetrycommunity #indigenous

Firstly, congratulations to all of the students who were a part of our North/West, Central, and South & East Regional Heats over the last two weeks. We send out a huge mihi to all the poets who stepped up to their front lines and spoke truth to power into this space! Massive shout out to all of our incredible teachers and whanau who came out to support, we could not do this without you. Was so awesome to see so many new teams and poets come through this year alongside some familiar faces. You all represented yourself, your schools and your communities so strongly, you should all be so proud! All four heats were incredibly fierce! Thank you for allowing us into your world, both judging panels felt incredibly humbled, privileged and inspired to hear your voices and stories. We are blown away by the courage, strength and talent that has been displayed by all the teams in all the regions. Every year the bar gets raised but this year in particular was an extremely tough decision and the judges certainly had their work cut out for them. If you do not see your name below please make sure you check out the post for, He Reo Rangatahi invitational programme. Your voice, your story, your place is so important, we see you, we hear you. We will make sure that we build as many spaces as possible for your voices to be amplified. We will be in touch to talk about the next steps and what other opportunities we have for you. So in no particular order, here are the 14 teams who will advance to the next stage of Word - The Front Line 2025: Zayed College For Girls  Alfriston College Team 1  De La Salle College Team 2  Dilworth School Marcellin College Team 2  Waitākere College Team 1  Diocesan School For Girls Team 1  Wesley College  Birkenhead College  Kelston Girls’ College Team 2  Mount Roskill Grammar School Ngā Puna o Waiōrea Team 2  Tangaroa College Team 2  Glendowie College

We are beyond excited to announce the first year of our He Reo Rangatahi programme. This is a spoken word incubator programme which has both online and in person workshops led by Aoteroa’s leading poets and artists. You will also receive mentoring and coaching similar to Word - The Front Line. It has it’s own slam and only participants from He Reo Rangatahi will be invited to enter.   This is an incredible opportunity to hone your craft,  amplify your voice, receive quality mentoring and many platforms to flex your pen and rock the mic. We will be releasing the full programme next Friday which we will send out to your teachers.  In no particular order the schools we are inviting onto this programme are as follows: Henderson High School Team 1 and 2  Waitākere College Team 2 Kelston Girls’ College Team 1  St Dominic’s Girls’ Catholic College  Ormiston Junior College Team 1 and 2  De La Salle College Team 1  Papatoetoe High School  McAuley High School Mount Albert Grammar School Michael Park School Ngā Puna o Waiōrea Team 1 Onehunga High School Diocesan School For Girls Team 2  Marcellin College Team 1  Tangaroa College Team 1  Alfriston College Team 2

SUP Central is back at Studio One — Toi Tū! Stand Up Poetry Open Mic nights make spoken word poetry relevant and accessible by providing a public platform for emerging spoken word poets. Open mic is open to all styles, ages and backgrounds. Bring a poem, verse or just yourself! FREE - Sign up on the day. Wednesday June 4 7PM This is an uncensored space but hate speech free. Feature: Koromiko Jacob-Williams is a poet, facilitator, aspiring filmmaker, and creative who hails from Tauranga Moana(Ngāiterangi, Ngātiranginui) but currently lives in West Auckland. They are a member of the spoken word poetry group Rehekōrero, who have performed and competed at the New Zealand National Poetry Slam, Laneway Music Festival, Splore Festival, and more. They write about Te Ao Māori and issues facing their culture while touching on what it’s like to be a rangatahi and wāhine Māori. Currently, they’re studying for a Bachelor of Communications, majoring in film at AUT and hope to write and release a collection of poetry in the future.

Action Education is excited to celebrate Youth Week, which is a nationwide festival of events organized by young New Zealanders to celebrate the talents, passion and success of local young people. The 2025 Theme is Take Our Place – Whai Wāhitanga. Youth Week aims to amplify young people’s valuable contributions to their communities. We want Aotearoa to be a country where young people are vibrant and optimistic who are supported and encouraged to take up challenges. We will be posting a poem everyday from incredible young people in our community taking their place and making positive change! Next up, we have a powerful poem written and performed by Ivy, Ange, Laith & Hari. #YouthWeekNZ25 #aotearoa #spokenword #maori #poetrycommunity #indigenous

Action Education is excited to celebrate Youth Week, which is a nationwide festival of events organized by young New Zealanders to celebrate the talents, passion and success of local young people. The 2025 Theme is Take Our Place – Whai Wāhitanga. Youth Week aims to amplify young people’s valuable contributions to their communities. We want Aotearoa to be a country where young people are vibrant and optimistic who are supported and encouraged to take up challenges. We will be posting a poem everyday from incredible young people in our community taking their place and making positive change! Next up, we have one of the 2024 WTFL finalist teams from Ngā Puna O Waiōrea! #YouthWeekNZ25 #aotearoa #spokenword #maori #poetrycommunity #indigenous

Action Education is excited to celebrate Youth Week, which is a nationwide festival of events organized by young New Zealanders to celebrate the talents, passion and success of local young people. The 2025 Theme is Take Our Place – Whai Wāhitanga. Youth Week aims to amplify young people’s valuable contributions to their communities. We want Aotearoa to be a country where young people are vibrant and optimistic who are supported and encouraged to take up challenges. We will be posting a poem everyday from incredible young people in our community taking their place and making positive change! Next up, we have the 2021 Word - The Front Line Champions from Marcellin College! #YouthWeekNZ25 #aotearoa #spokenword #maori #poetrycommunity #indigenous

Action Education is excited to celebrate Youth Week, which is a nationwide festival of events organised by young New Zealanders to celebrate the talents, passion and success of local young people. The 2025 Theme is Take Our Place – Whai Wāhitanga. Youth Week aims to amplify young people’s valuable contributions to their communities. We want Aotearoa to be a country where young people are vibrant and optimistic who are supported and encouraged to take up challenges. We will be posting a poem everyday from incredible young people in our community taking their place and making positive change! Starting off the week we have a classic poem from 2023 Word - The Front Line Champions @rehekorero, filmed for the Hui last year. #YouthWeekNZ25 #aotearoa #spokenword #maori #poetrycommunity #indigenous

Stand Up Poetry South last night was beautiful! Thank you so much to everyone who showed up to support our poets and communities. Even when the weather cools down, the room is always warm. Shoutout to all our poets and creatives who shared on the mic! Big mihi to Youthline Manukau for hosting us and Nualān for holding it down on the decks 🔥 To our feature, Koko, THANK YOU! The first time you came to SUP we were in awe of you and years later, we still are. Your presence and creativity in all spaces are necessary. It was special to witness you share the mic with your mum and a testament to who you are. If you missed out last night, we will be running it back next month! Next feature loading 👀

We are proud to have Koko as our feature for Stand Up Poetry South this Wednesday! Here is a sneak preview of the greatness they are bringing. Come with a poem/rap to share on the open mic, listen to our solid feature or enjoy a night of creativity. When: Wednesday 7th May Where: Youthline Papatoetoe, 145 Saint George Street, Auckland Time: 7pm FREE Uncensored space but hate speech free. Sign up for the open mic on the night!

Absolute Tāmaki Makaurau powerhouse! Make some noise for your SUP South feature, KOKO!🔥 Stand Up Poetry Open Mic nights make spoken word poetry relevant and accessible by providing a public platform for emerging spoken word poets. Open mic is open to all styles, ages and backgrounds. Bring a poem, verse or just yourself! This is an uncensored space but hate speech free. 📆 Wednesday, 7th May ⏰ 7pm 📍 Youthline Manukau FREE Sign up on the day. Feature: Koko is a proud queer Pasifika poet hailing from the lands of Upolu, Samoa and Niue. They are born and raised in South Auckland and strive to use their poetry as a tool to uplift their communities. WTFL alumni and Grand Slam finalist, performing on stages across Tamaki Makaurau, Koko tells tales of being afakasi, the struggles of diaspora, navigating grief, and highlighting the joy of their people.

We are proud and excited to welcome our newest team member, Koromiko Jacob-Williams! ⭐️ Koromiko is a dynamic poet, activist and future filmmaker who we are grateful to have on our staff. Koromiko Jacob-Williams is a poet, facilitator, aspiring filmmaker, and creative who hails from Tauranga Moana(Ngāiterangi, Ngātiranginui) but currently lives in West Auckland. They are a member of the spoken word poetry group Rehekōrero, who have performed and competed at the National Poetry Competition, Laneway Music Festival, Splore Festival, and more. They write about Te Ao Māori and issues facing their culture while touching on what it’s like to be a rangatahi and wāhine Māori. Currently, they’re studying for a Bachelor of Communications, majoring in film at AUT and hope to write and release a collection of poetry in the future.

Teacher’s Night 2025 ✍️ We kicked off 2025 with an incredible professional development evening with teachers and educators from all over Tāmaki Makurau! It was a beautiful way to start the journey of Word - The Front Line. Big mihi to all of our teachers who came out last month. It is special to be able to continue to support our teachers. We know how important and necessary your roles are for our rangatahi and education systems and the time outside of this is precious, so thank you for taking this opportunity to connect and share. A huge shoutout to our performers and WORD alumni for showcasing your truths! Thank you to Nualān for holding it down on the decks. Thank you so much to Sustainable Coastlines for hosting us. It was awesome to be back and we are grateful for your space. For our teachers and educators who missed out, and anyone interested in WORD, please check out our website or email info@actioneducation.co.nz

SOUTH SUMMIT 2025 🌺 E pala le ma’a, ae le pala le upu. Even stones decay, but words remain. A few weeks ago we held our first ever South Summit, celebrating our Pasifika youth through spoken word, rap and theatre. We had rangatahi come from all over the motu; sharing their stories, building connections and practicing their pen. A huge shoutout to all the rangatahi who spent the day with us. We are still inspired by your creativity and truths. It is a powerful experience to be in a room full of future leaders and artists. Big mihi to our collaborators and friends, Fonua Ola. This wouldn’t be possible without your belief in our youth and support for us. Thank you for walking alongside us! Thank you to Māngere Arts Centre for hosting us. Thank you so much to our star line up of performers and incredible facilitators, Denyce Su’a from Massive Theatre Company, Melodownz, Zech Soakai, Luani Nansen and Noah Tauti. Our young people and communities continue to grow with your mahi. Thank you to Sole Photography for capturing the day beautifully and Nualān on the decks! Shoutout to Grace’s Kitchen for feeding our village. Catch the rest on the photos on our Facebook page 📷

SUP (Stand Up Poetry) Central is happening this Wednesday! Featuring the current New Zealand National Slam Champion, Talia Stanley ⭐️ Bring a friend, come rock on the open mic or enjoy an evening of incredible poetry. Sign up on the night! When: Wednesday 2nd April Where: Studio One Toi Tū, 1 Ponsonby Road Time: 7pm FREE This is an uncensored space but hate speech free.

WE’RE BACK 🎤 And better than ever, with our Stand Up Poetry feature for April being the current New Zealand National Poetry Slam Champion, Talia Stanley! Stand Up Poetry Open Mic nights make spoken word poetry relevant and accessible by providing a public platform for emerging spoken word poets. Open mic is open to all styles, ages and backgrounds. Bring a poem, verse or just yourself! This is an uncensored space but hate speech free. 🗓️ Wednesday 2nd April ⏰ 7pm 📍 Studio One Toi Tū, 1 Ponsonby Road FREE Sign up on the day. Feature: Talia Stanley is a Samoan youth development worker, writer, and spoken word artist from Tāmaki Makaurau. She is the 2024 New Zealand Poetry Slam Champion and has over 12 years of experience as a spoken word poetry facilitator, and currently works for Action Education running workshops across the country. She has performed at numerous festivals and theatres in Aotearoa.

Stand Up Poetry (SUP) March ✅ Thank you so much to everyone who came through to our first SUP of 2025! The mic was on and the vibes were up. We appreciate all the storytellers who took the stage from vets to fresh poets, and our communities for showing up for them. Shoutout to our DJ Big Music and Youthline Manukau for hosting us! Lastly, a huge thank you to our feature, Jesse Gibson! Your creativity continues to shine in all spaces. Thank you for sharing your craft with us. We are always excited to see what you’ll do next, and if ya’ll are too, make sure to give him a follow! Stay tuned for the next SUP with another fire feature 🔥