Act Party slams Creative NZ over Tusiata Avia $60,000 poetry award

The Act Party is criticising Government arts funding body Creative New Zealand for awarding $60,000 to a prominent poet and children’s author the party has repeatedly called racist due to her provocative and controversial writing.

Act arts, culture and heritage spokesman Todd Stephenson claimed Tusiata Avia’s work “sows racial division”, which he believed the government should not fund.

“The council members who approved this sick, sick decision do a serious disservice to the awards’ other winners who will presumably now have to share a stage with a notorious racist. They need to review their process to ensure that taxpayer money is no longer used to support race-baiting,” he said.

Poet Tusiata Avia. Photo / Hayley Theyers

“In her recent book, The Savage Coloniser, Avia makes the case for violent, vigilante justice to be dealt out against individuals based on their whiteness. The book is about murdering James Cook, his descendants, and white people like him.”

Stephenson claimed while Tusiata Avia’s poems might have therapeutic value for her and others, the Act didn’t think taxpayers should be funding any of their publications.

Act Party arts, culture and heritage spokesperson Todd Stephenson said Creative New Zealand shouldn't be funding what he described as Tusiata Avia "racist rants." Photo / Supplied

“With a new Government looking to make spending cuts at low-value departments, Creative NZ is tempting fate.

“Don’t take it from me, read her poetry yourself. It’s my sincere hope that the media will print this excerpt from The Savage Coloniser in full so that taxpayers can see exactly what kind of racist vitriol they’re funding.”

In a statement from Creative NZ, an organisation spokesperson said Avia MNZM is one of New Zealand’s most celebrated contemporary poets, whose work is intentionally confronting, as is the work of many artists – and it supported the sharing of ideas, stories and experiences through art.

“We published a statement in response to similar commentary regarding The Savage Coloniser Show. The Human Rights Commission also released its own statement with regards to The Savage Coloniser and in April, the Media Council also found no grounds to uphold complaints it received.

“We are confident in our process whereby winners are selected by the Arts Council on the recommendation of an external panel of experts following public nominations.

“We are thrilled with the recognition of these three acclaimed writers. As we noted in our announcement, this is the first time that women have been the recipients in all three categories and it is exceptional to see three writers of Māori, Pacific and Chinese heritage celebrated for their significant literary achievements.”

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.