Zech Soakai

Zech Soakai is a storyteller, educator, and award-winning performance poet. Raised in South Auckland, he considers his work as a writer, orator, and educator significant in village building and warrior raising—so that his communities may continue to flourish. Zech was privileged to attend the Rhodes Poetry Retreat in Monolithos under the tutelage of Greek-Australian poet Luka Lesson. His written works can be found in Rapture: An Anthology of Performance Poetry in Aotearoa New Zealand by AUP in 2023, and Remember Me: Poems to Learn by Heart from Aotearoa New Zealand by AUP in 2023. Zech is now writing his poetry manuscript at a furious pace for his upcoming first solo collection after a successful stint as Guest Curator for Auckland Writers Festival 2025.

Zech Soakai adalah pendongeng, pendidik, dan penyair pertunjukan peraih penghargaan. Dibesarkan di South Auckland, ia memandang perannya sebagai penulis, orator, dan pendidik sebagai bagian penting dalam membangun komunitas dan menumbuhkan jiwa-jiwa pejuang, agar masyarakatnya dapat terus tumbuh dan berkembang. Zech berkesempatan mengikuti Rhodes Poetry Retreat di Monolithos di bawah bimbingan penyair Yunani-Australia, Luka Lesson.Karya-karyanya dimuat dalam Rapture: An Anthology of Performance Poetry in Aotearoa New Zealand AUP, 2023 dan Remember Me: Poems to Learn by Heart from Aotearoa New Zealand AUP, 2023. Saat ini, Zech tengah menulis manuskrip puisi untuk koleksi solo perdananya, setelah sukses menjalani peran sebagai Kurator Tamu di Auckland Writers Festival 2025.