Famous New Zealander Poets

Vote for Your Favourite New Zealander Poets

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 1 
Janet Frame
(Novelist, Essayist, Poet, Writer, Short Story Writer)
Janet Frame
5
Birthdate: August 28, 1924
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dunedin
Died: January 29, 2004

Initially trained to be a schoolteacher, Janet Frame later soared to fame with her short stories, poems, and her 3-part memoir, including An Angel at My Table. Misdiagnosed as schizophrenic, she spent almost a decade in mental hospitals. She wrote most of her works while in psychiatric care.

 2 
Sonja Yelich
(New Zealand Poet and Mother of Pop Singer 'Lorde')
Sonja Yelich
4
Birthdate: February 26, 1965
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand

Sonja Yelich is a New Zealand poet best known as the mother of the popular singer-songwriter, Lorde. Sonja Yelich achieved popularity as a poet when she released her first collection of poems titled Clung which earned her the prestigious Jessie Mackay Award at the New Zealand Book Awards in 2005.

 3 
Witi Ihimaera
(New Zealand Novelist)
Witi Ihimaera
3
Birthdate: February 7, 1944
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Gisborne, New Zealand

New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera started his career as a newspaper writer and then worked as a postal worker, before scripting history as the first Maori to publish a novel and a collection of short stories. His novel The Whale Rider was later made into an award-winning film.

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 4 
Keri Hulme
(New Zealand Novelist, Poet and Short-Story Writer Known for Her First Novel, 'The Bone People')
Keri Hulme
3
Birthdate: March 9, 1947
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Christchurch, New Zealand
Died: December 27, 2021

New Zealand author Keri Hulme is best known for her Booker Prize-winning debut novel The Bone People. She has also used the pseudonym Kai Tainui to write books and has mostly dealt with themes related to the culture of Maori people. The Maori author initially worked as a tobacco picker.

 5 
James K. Baxter
(One of New Zealand’s Best Known and Best Loved Poets)
James K. Baxter
2
Birthdate: June 29, 1926
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Dunedin, New Zealand
Died: October 22, 1972

One of New Zealand’s best-known poets, James K. Baxter was inspired by Romantic and British modernist poets and mythology. He also penned the popular radio play Jack Winter’s Dream, apart from various other plays and social and literary criticism. He used his Maori name Hemi later in life.

 6 
Fleur Adcock
(New Zealand Poet and Editor)
Fleur Adcock
2
Birthdate: February 10, 1934
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Papakura, New Zealand

Fleur Adcock is a New Zealand poet and editor. She is of English and Northern Irish ancestry and has lived much of her life in England. She studied Classics at Victoria University of Wellington and began her career as an assistant lecturer at the University of Otago. She has worked as a freelance writer since 1980.

 7 
Kapka Kassabova
(Poet)
Kapka Kassabova
2
Birthdate: 1973
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Sofia, Bulgaria

Kapka Kassabova is a writer and poet whose works have earned her several prestigious awards such as a Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Highland Book Prize. Many of her books have also been shortlisted for numerous awards including the Baillie Gifford Prize, the Duff Cooper Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Awards.

 8 
Hone Tūwhare
(New Zealand Poet)
Hone Tūwhare
2
Birthdate: October 21, 1922
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kaikohe, New Zealand
Died: January 16, 2008

One of the most celebrated Maori poets of New Zealand, Hone Tuwhare started his career as an apprentice with the New Zealand Railways. He was also involved in trade unionism and was part of the 1975 Maori Land March. He was also the second Te Mata Poet Laureate.

 9 
Allen Curnow
(New Zealand Poet and Journalist Best Known for His Book of 'New Zealand Verse')
Allen Curnow
2
Birthdate: June 17, 1911
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Timaru, New Zealand
Died: September 23, 2001

Allen Curnow was a New Zealand journalist and poet. He is best remembered for his 1945 work Book of New Zealand Verse, which is regarded as a milestone in New Zealand literature. Allen Curnow also contributed to publications like The New Zealand Herald and The Press. He was a recipient of several awards, including the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.

 10 
Sylvia Ashton-Warner
(New Zealand Novelist, Non-fiction Writer and Poet)
Sylvia Ashton-Warner
2
Birthdate: December 17, 1908
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Stratford, New Zealand
Died: April 28, 1984

Sylvia Ashton-Warner was a New Zealand non-fiction writer, novelist, poet, and pianist. She is best remembered for her contributions as a teacher and her ideas for a child-based approach to the teaching of writing and reading are used and debated internationally today. Sylvia Ashton-Warner received numerous awards, including the New Zealand Book Award in 1980.

 11 
Douglas Stewart
(Poet)
Douglas Stewart
3
Birthdate: May 6, 1913
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Eltham, New Zealand
Died: February 11, 1985

Douglas Stewart was a 20th-century Australian poet, writer, essayist, and editor. He served as the literary editor of the Australian magazine, The Bulletin, for two decades. He published 13 collections of poetry and numerous short stories, essays, and articles in his prolific career. He also edited several poetry anthologies. He received the Grace Leven Prize for Poetry in 1967. 

 12 
C.K. Stead
(New Zealand Poet and Novelist)
C.K. Stead
2
Birthdate: October 17, 1932
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand

C.K. Stead is a New Zealand writer best known for his novels, poems, short stories, and literary criticism. An internationally celebrated writer, Stead has received several prestigious awards such as the Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement and Sarah Broom Poetry Prize. C.K. Stead also served as the New Zealand Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017.

 13 
Keith Sinclair
(New Zealand Poet)
Keith Sinclair
1
Birthdate: December 5, 1922
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand
Died: June 20, 1993

Sir Keith Sinclair was a New Zealand historian and poet who achieved widespread popularity for his debut book The Origins of the Maori Wars. His 1959 book A History of New Zealand is considered a classic in New Zealand history. In 2005, Sir Keith Sinclair was named in the New Zealand's Top 100 History Makers list.