Tagaloa Sā Donna Tusiata Avia, of Christchurch, MNZM, for services to poetry and the arts
Tagaloa Sā Donna Tusiata Avia is an acclaimed poet, performer and author. Her poetry stage show, ‘Wild Dogs Under My Skirt’, premiered at the Dunedin Fringe Festival as a solo show and is now a multi-award-winning theatre production for six women.
She has published three poetry collections and three children’s books. Her poems have been published in more than 100 anthologies and literary journals.
She has taught creative writing and performance for communities, arts organisations, schools, tertiary institutions and justice facilities.
Ms Avia has received the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writers Residency at the University of Hawai’i, the Ursula Bethell Creative Writers Residency, and the Janet Frame Literary Trust Award.