Leilani Leafaitulagi Grace Tamu ( Burgoyne) is a New Zealand poet and politician.

Background

Tamu was born Leilani Leafaitulagi Grace Burgoyne in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

and is of Samoan, Tongan, Scottish and German descent. She is the daughter of rugby league player Bill Burgoyne and Ellen Oldehaver. She grew up in Auckland and attended Marist School Mt Albert and St Mary's College. She attended the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

where she studied history. Her master's thesis was on

Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...

between 1879 and 1900. Tamu currently lives in Auckland.

Career

For several years, Tamu worked as a diplomat for the New Zealand

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade may refer to: * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (Jamaica) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (South Korea) South Korea's Ministry of ...

, including postings to

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

(2010–2012) and Australia. After leaving the ministry, she became an active writer and social commentator, specifically on Pasifika issues.

Published works

Tamu published her first collection of poetry, ''The Art of Excavation'' in 2014 (Anahera Press). Her second collection, ''Cultural Diplomacy'', was released in 2017, following her residency in Hawai‘i. With Melani Anae and Lautofa Luli, Tamu documented the history of the Polynesian Panther Party in the book ''Polynesian Panthers: Pacific Protest and Affirmative Action in Aotearoa NZ 1971–1981'' (2015,

Huia Publishers Huia Publishers (HUIA) is a book publishing company based in Wellington, New Zealand established in 1991. HUIA publish material in Māori language and English for adults and children. HUIA was founded by Robyn Rangihuia Bargh (CNZM) and her ...

). Tamu is a regular contributor to

Metro magazine ''Metro Magazine'' is a trade magazine for bus and rail transit and motorcoach operators, published in the United States since 1904, taking its current name in 1975.Di Giacomo, Frank. "100 years of deadlines". ''Metro Magazine'', July 2004, p. 4. ...

and has been published in a number of literary journals and anthologies. Poetry by Tamu was included in ''UPU,'' a curation of Pacific Island writers’ work which was first presented at the Silo Theatre as part of the Auckland Arts Festival in March 2020. ''UPU'' was remounted as part of the

Kia Mau Festival The Kia Mau Festival, previously called Ahi Kaa Festival, is a biennial performing arts festival in Wellington, New Zealand. In te reo Māori, kia mau is "a call to stay - an invitation to join us". The festival covers Māori, Pasifika and in ...

in Wellington in June 2021.

Parliamentary candidate

Tamu was placed 17th on the Green Party's list to contest the

2017 New Zealand general election The 2017 New Zealand general election took place on Saturday 23 September 2017 to determine the membership of the 52nd New Zealand Parliament. The previous parliament was elected on 20 September 2014 and was officially dissolved on 22 August 20 ...

, and ran for the

New Lynn New Lynn is a residential suburb in West Auckland, New Zealand, located 10 kilometres to the southwest of the Auckland city centre. The suburb is located along the Whau River, one of the narrowest points of the North Island, and was the locat ...

electorate. She placed third in the electorate, behind Paulo Garcia and was defeated by the Labour Party candidate

Deborah Russell Deborah Faye Russell (born 14 January 1966) is a New Zealand academic and politician. She is a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party. Biography Early life Russell was born in Whangamōmona, a small town in ...

. The Green Party did not receive enough party votes to elect her from the party list.

Awards

In 2013 Tamu received Fulbright-

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

Pacific Writer's Residency at the

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa The University of Hawaii at Mānoa (University of Hawaii—Mānoa, UH Mānoa, Hawai'i, or simply UH) is a public land-grant research university in Mānoa, a neighborhood in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is the flagship campus of the University of Haw ...

. Her poetry collection, ''The Art of Excavation'', was praised as a favourite book of 2015 by the

New Zealand Book Council Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (formerly the New Zealand Book Council) is a not-for-profit organisation that presents a wide range of programmes to promote books and reading in New Zealand. History It was established in 1972 as a response to UNESCO's ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamu, Leilani Living people New Zealand people of Samoan descent New Zealand people of Tongan descent New Zealand people of German descent New Zealand people of Scottish descent People from Auckland University of Auckland alumni New Zealand fiction writers New Zealand women short story writers New Zealand women poets People educated at St Mary's College, Auckland Unsuccessful candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election Year of birth missing (living people)