Our latest research, the 2021 National Reading Survey, was the first of its kind since 2018 and unearthed a large amount of information about who’s reading and what they’re reading.

While the overall rates of reading have dropped slightly, particularly amongst men, one interesting trend emerged from the report. The increasing prominence of poetry in New Zealanders’ reading diet.

The survey found that, overall, 25% of adult respondents (an estimated 1,003,200 people) said they had read or started at least one book of poetry at some time in the past 12 months.

Around half of those readers also said they read or started to read at least one book of poetry by a New Zealand poet in the past 12 months.

A higher percentage of 10-17 year old readers (28%, or around 127,300 people) said they had read poetry books by New Zealand poets in the past year. Total volume read was an estimated 408,000 poetry books, equivalent to 36% of all poetry books read by 10-17 year olds in the year.

The survey also found that the average age for adult poetry readers was 7% lower than the average age for readers overall: 45.3 years versus an average age of 48.5 years for all readers, and possibly the most unexpected stat, readers of poetry by New Zealand poets were more likely to be male than female.

Wellington poet Jordan Hamel wasn't (too) surprised by this finding. We asked him to tell us why.

The rising popularity amongst young readers and specifically young men is, to an extent, unexpected. However, the increased accessibility to poetry alongside a continuously expanding perception of what ‘poetry’ is has led us to a point where the genre is primed to have a renaissance, of sorts.

It’s impossible to discuss the changing face of modern poetry and how poets are connecting with a new generation of readers without talking about the far-reaching effects of social media. While things like Instagram, Twitter and even TikTok have been with us for a while now, in recent years we have seen poets mobilize these mediums to share their poetry with the masses. World famous ‘Instapoets’ Rupi Kaur and Yung Pueblo write poetry that fits the look and scroll nature of Instagram perfectly and have turned their online popularity into best-selling collections. They are now some of the most recognizable names in poetry, for better or worse, with countless imitators.

The increasing popularity of spoken word and the ongoing relationship between hip hop and poetry also owes a lot to the power of the algorithm. Amanda Gorman’s recital at Joe Biden’s inauguration became an internet sensation sweeping the web. Young Aotearoa poets are seeing similar success through YouTube with young stars like Aigagalefili Fepulea'I Tapua'I and Ngā Hine Pūkōrero going viral with videos of their searing performances.

This increased visibility has leaked more and more into NZ publishing too. While few would argue there aren’t still inequities and a lack of representation in publishing, the success and popularity of poets like Hera Lindsay Bird, Tayi Tibble, Dominic Hoey, Mohamed Hassan, essa may ranapiri and Tusiata Avia in recent years demonstrates the need to give space to a range of voices who speak to different communities, not just old white dudes writing about southern landscapes. Because when that space is given, or better yet, created by the poet, readers can start to see themselves in the poetry in ways they’ve never done before. Whether it’s because they’ve never seen a poet that looks like them or writes about the issues they face or whether they’ve implicitly or explicitly been told this genre isn’t for you, these poets and many others are helping to break those barriers down.

We are seeing schools heed these messages too. There is increasing demand for poetry and spoken word workshops in secondary schools across the country. When I’m lucky enough to be involved with these, the teachers always ask me the same questions. Who are the poets we should be teaching to these kids? Where can we find their work? What books should we buy for the library that the kids will relate to more? While certain teachers and schools will never willingly trade in The Charge of the Light Brigade for Selina Tusitala Marsh, it’s heartening to see the commitment from teachers and educators who are doing what they can to get their kids to engage with poetry.

Ultimately poetry has always existed in different spaces, pubs, churches, cafes, schools, the page, the stage, the hallowed halls of tertiary institutions. But the power of the internet and the wave of new poets, young and old who are challenging and stretching the idea of what poetry can be, are socializing the genre in a way that hasn’t been done before. I can only hope we see this trend continue when it comes time for the next survey.

- Jordan Hamel