March 2022

Aotearoa’s countrywide celebration of poetry is preparing to mark its 25^th anniversary with plans for the broadest range of events and promotions yet, as registrations open today for participation in Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day on 26 August 2022.

National Poetry Day co-ordinator Erica Stretton says that after two years of largely online events, the NPD team, poets and organisers are all eager and optimistic about a return to the usual feast of in-person and community events across the motu.

She urges organisers to register their interest early in hosting an event on or around 26 August, in order to access the seed funding available and to be included in the heavily promoted official calendar of NPD events.

“We’ve all learned so much in the past two years about the power of the digital reach in showcasing poets and poetry, and online will continue to play an important part in our promotions. But we can’t wait to see poets and enthusiasts unleashing the power of poetry again in theatres, cafes, marae, bookshops and libraries, in parks and on beaches, pavements and public transport, anywhere and everywhere!”

In 2019 a massive 160 events took place nationwide, bringing together acclaimed poets, new voices, young writers and poetry enthusiasts of all ages.

This year also marks the 40^th anniversary of NPD sponsor, Phantom Billstickers. CEO Robin McDonnell says the company has plenty planned to mark its special milestone, but that poetry will always be at the heart of what they do. “Phantom’s founder Jim Wilson was sharing the works of New Zealand poets on posters in New Zealand and around the world well before the company was even formed. We can’t wait to take the power of poetry to the streets of Aotearoa again in our 40^th year, in a nationwide poster campaign in the lead up to National Poetry Day 2022.”

Interested organisers can access registration documents, templates and a full range of planning and promotional resources via the NPD website at www.poetryday.co.nz. Registrations for seed funding close at 5pm on 1 June 2022. The official Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day 2022 calendar will be announced on 1 August.

For further information contact Erica Stretton at poetryday@nzbookawards.org.nz and to keep up with plans for NPD 2022, follow NZPoetryDay on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Painting the streets with poetry

Coming soon to a wall near you: 14 fresh new voices from Tāmaki Makaurau.

Spoken Walls is what happens when the voices of our rangatahi are given a platform to speak. In this case, the platform is a series of Phantom frames. In a unique collaboration with Auckland Arts Festival, we’re bringing you words of passionate, talented young writers.

Look out for their concrete korero in the Phantom frames opposite the Auckland central library in Lorne Street and other frames across the city from 10 March 2022.

We asked the Festival’s Artistic Director Shona McCullagh to tell us what Spoken Walls is all about:

Shona, what inspired you to set up this collaboration?

“I saw one of Phantom founder Jim Wilson’s poem poster social media posts and I liked the way it brought the power of the word to new audiences. When you stumble on a poem in a public place, it’s a kind of silent activism. I wondered if we could do something similar, but with young, unknown writers in our city.

“So I got in touch with Phantom and took it from there.”

How did you find the writers whose words are featured?

“We worked with Action Education, which is an arts-based youth development organisation that uses spoken word poetry to engage young people. They got in touch with schools and ran workshops around the region. We wanted diverse voices, and we found 14 young poets from different high schools and communities.”

What topics are they tackling?

“Their words are their own but the common concept that unites them is the Festival theme of Truth. We wanted to hear their truth, bearing in mind the huge pressure young people are under these days. They’re dealing with multiple revolutions, and their voices aren’t always being heard. By putting their words, their truth, in Phantom frames, we can help young people connect, reflect and express their stories.”

Why street posters?

“Phantom shares our passion for the arts to be seen and heard. They share our belief that there’s something uniquely powerful about art in public spaces, where people from all walks of life can stumble upon it.”

Look out for Spoken Walls: A City In Verse during the Auckland Arts Festival. Poems will be popping up around town from 10 March 2022. Check out the poems here

Do you have a message for the street or a campaign you’d like to share? Call 0800 PHANTOM (0800 742686) or have a word with our arts specialist, Anton, on anton@0800phantom.co.nz

Phantom reached the unaware so Motueka could sell its wares

The sun shines a lot in the Motueka region. As well as an enviable climate, it boasts golden beaches, vineyards, a great Sunday market and three national parks. It’s a brilliant place for a break.

There’s just one issue. People from outside the region didn’t really think of it as a holiday hotspot. 

The team behind Love Motueka decided to change that. 

They put in a call to Phantom Billstickers.

We worked hard to sell relaxation

Love Motueka used Phantom posters in Wellington and Christchurch to promote the beauty of their region. Striking design and informative copy planted the idea of a Motueka holiday.

We had posters popping up all over Wellington and Christchurch, reaching busy commuters and harried shoppers. The campaign was cunningly booked for a fortnight leading up to summer, to catch urbanites who were pondering their next holiday. 

Posters + a website = the perfect promotion

With this campaign, Phantom delivered impact on the street and pointed towards the Love Motueka website. A whole lot of people then decided to sample the delights of this overlooked region. Mission accomplished. 

Paste plus pixels. It’s a powerful and cost-effective way to put a new holiday destination on the map.