Best New Zealand Poems is published annually by the International Institute of Modern Letters, and aims to introduce readers to leading contemporary New Zealand poets. The poems are chosen to show the vitality and range of current writing. We have shamelessly modelled this online project on the successful US paperback anthology, The Best American Poetry. Each year we publish 25 poems from recent literary magazines and poetry collections, where possible including notes about and by the poet, as well as links to related publishing and literary websites. In this way we hope that readers – especially international readers – will be able to follow up fresh discoveries. There are plenty to be made.

The editorship of Best New Zealand Poems changes annually. This year’s editor is Elizabeth Smither, the third Te Mata Estate New Zealand Poet Laureate. Iain Sharp, books editor of the Sunday Star-Times, edited our inaugural issue, which has been visited by thousands of readers from New Zealand and around the world. And we are delighted to announce that the editor of Best New Zealand Poems 2003 will be ex Landfall and Islands editor, Robin Dudding.

Best New Zealand Poems is supported by a grant from Creative New Zealand, whose assistance we gratefully acknowledge. Creative New Zealand’s grant goes entirely to contributors and editor.

Many thanks to Ralph Hotere, whose drawing for the first edition of James K Baxter’s Jerusalem Sonnets (Bibliography Room, University of Otago, 1970) we have used on our opening page.

Bill Manhire
International Institute of Modern Letters
Wellington
March, 2003