Direen receives honour

Dunedin musician and poet Bill Direen has been honoured as an Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate recipient. He has received the Joanna Hickman, Waiwetu Trust Award. 

The selection panel said he was "an underground legend and artistic polymath".

"Bill has shaped our most literate musical voice across five decades — esoteric yet accessible, always poetic." 

He joins seven other creatives from across New Zealand in this year’s selection and will receive  $50,000.

Arts foundation general manager Jessica Palalagi said the 2025 laureates embodied the innovation, dedication and spirit that defined New Zealand’s arts community.  — Allied Media