Manukau in Poetry was launched on the Manukau Libraries website on 25 June 2003.

The first-ever regional online poetry resource hosted by a public library, Manukau in Poetry was the brainchild of local poet and editor Bernard Gadd. It attracted submissions from both new and established poets. Selection was undertaken by an editorial board consisting of Bernard Gadd, Melissa Steiner and Bruce Ringer.

In November 2004 Hallard Press published a hard-copy anthology of poems from the website. The cover image was kindly provided by poet Allan Taylor.

Bernard Gadd died suddenly on 11 December 2007. In 2008 and 2009 Manukau Libraries hosted the Bernard Gadd Memorial Poetry competition, with prizes generously donated by Bernard’s son David Gadd.

Riemke Ensing won the inaugural competition with her poem‘The poet is seen flying across the Manukau’; Siobhan Harvey was runner-up with ‘Manukau bubbles’; and Bronwyn Bryant was third with ‘Dream a river.’

The second competition attracted 104 entries from 40 poets. In 2009 new poet Nicole Wallace was the winner with ‘Notes about Cleo’, Siobhan Harvey came second with ‘Tension at Auckland Airport’ and Barbree Western took third place with her poem ‘Roses’.

The three winning entries in both years and a selection of other entries were published on Manukau in Poetry.

No competition was held in 2010, although the Korero exhibition at Uxbridge Arts Centre, Howick, in May 2010, curated by Siobhan Harvey, featured a number of poems from the website (“invited artists make artwork in response to New Zealand poetry”).

In November 2010 Manukau in Poetry was broadened in scope to include poetry and poets from the wider Counties Manukau area (the Howick, Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura and Franklin wards of the new Auckland City).

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