We are pleased to welcome one of Auckland's best DJs back again to the WORD - The Front Line stage. 

DJ Exile has sixteen years of DJ’ing and Radio Broadcasting experience with 95bFM, 106.9KFM and BASEFM. He has DJ’d most of New Zealand’s premium festivals including Rhythm & Vines for the past six years. He holds a number of club residencies and operates as a professional DJ on the Auckland club circuit.

We are also beyond stoked to announce that Sharnar is our confirmed feature performer this weekend. She will keep our audiences entertained with her stunning vocals while our judges go to work tallying scores. 

Sharnar has deep influences in her music from old school tunes that her parents would play on the stereo when she was growing up, influences that reflect in her song writing and smoky vocals, with her heartfelt lyrics and soulful grooves. 

Years of writing poetry and songs have produced a catalogue of work that has been patiently waiting to find its voice, a beautiful and powerful voice that Sharnar is about show the world as she takes her first deep breath on the global stage with the release of her debut single ALIVE.

Check our her debut single "ALIVE" below, and come and witness this amazing artist this weekend.

Saturday August 5th
Bruce Mason Theatre
1pm-4pm
Gold coin donation! 

Dominic Hoey is a poet, author, and musician based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Under the Tourettes moniker, Dominic has released five critically acclaimed studio albums, two books of poetry, five short films and a novel. In a former life, he was an MC battle- and slam-poetry champion. He has performed his spoken-word poetry in Australia, Europe, England, Japan, and America. He also works as an arts mentor, teaching rangatahi excluded from mainstream education.

Maree Mills joined Auckland Council in 2013 to project lead design and delivery of the regions first Arts and Culture Strategy Toi Whītiki.

​Prior to her role as Director of Hastings City Art Gallery in Hawke’s Bay, Maree lectured at the University of Waikato, on video production and experimental video practice. Her own art practice explored communication of ethereal and cosmological concepts inherent in a Māori world-view, from a female perspective. She continues academic relationships through guest lecturing, degree development and assessment at various universities.

She is of Māori (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) English and Scottish descent.

Ashleigh Fata-Colcord was brought up in Manurewa, South Auckland. An accomplished poet, Ashleigh is a former champion of the youth poetry slam, Rising Voices. 

Rising Voices is a national slam providing unique opportunities for Aotearoa’s young writers to work with exceptionally talented professionals in a nurturing environment before stepping out on some of New Zealand’s biggest stages.  Many Word - The Front Line alumni have gone on to compete successfully in Rising Voices. 

Ashleigh has a love for poetry, people and places, and feels blessed to take part in this semi-final. 

Peter Jiang is a new dad, wannabe celebrity chef and the External Communications Manager at Coca-Cola Amatil.

By day he helps some of the world’s most well known brands tell their most important stories, by night he helps his sleep deprived partner change nappies. Previous to working at Coca-Cola, Peter started his career in advertising, moving onto digital marketing before starting his own company, Red&White which helped NZ businesses better understand the Asian community within NZ. 

Having worked closely with Youthline & Coca-Cola on the Good2Great programme, Peter is passionate about helping young people and is honoured to be part of the judging panel.