Ngā Toi Māori

A digital sound and visual experience that acts as a creative portal, Te Pito tells the story of connecting to our whenua (land) and ancestry.

Moko kanohi (facial markings) are a powerful expression of Māori cultural heritage worn with pride.

Te Tauihu ki te poi! A homage to kapa haka in Te Tauihu.

MĀ & The Fly Hunnies welcomes all to a safe place to bob ya head, delivering music from Breakfast With Hades alongside new tunes.

The highly anticipated follow-up to her 2019 Billy T Award-winning show, Kura Shoulda Woulda Kura Forrester (Taskmaster NZ, Educators) returns to update us on life at large.

Monty Soutar ONZM shares the story behind his bestselling and critically acclaimed debut novel, Kāwai: For Such a Time as This. Chaired by Airana Ngarewa.

Emma Ling Sidnam, Airana Ngarewa and Colleen Maria Lenihan discuss their stunning debut books and reveal what gave them the courage to write. Chaired by Paula Morris.

Join author and editor Paula Morris and some of her fellow contributors as we celebrate the Whakatū Nelson launch of this essential new anthology of our best Māori short fiction.

Award-winning doctor and writer, Dr Emma Espiner, discusses her stunning debut memoir, There's a cure for this, with Arihia Latham. Together they kōrero about hurt and healing, love and loss, life and death, motherhood and medicine.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Witi Ihimaera’s Tangi, the first novel written by a Māori author to be published in New Zealand. Join Witi and six fellow Māori writers at this special gala event to celebrate Aotearoa storytelling: Emma Espiner (MC), Vaughan Rapatahana, Ruby Solly, Donna McLeod, Arihia Latham and Airana Ngarewa.

Join internationally acclaimed artists Sheldon Rua & Talia Stanley for a workshop and/or exclusive performance live from the Victory Boxing ring - bring a poem or just come to listen.

Join us in the Beech Glade outdoor classroom on dusk, where Arihia Latham will read from her debut poetry collection, Birdspeak, alongside her cousin Ruby Solly, who will perform verse from her second book, The Artist.

Māori Theatre about the Nelson Tenths with pūrākau, taonga pūoro, waiata, and poetry, from the artists behind sell-out hit Parihaka.

Join singer, taonga pūoro musician and writer Ariana Tikao and photographer Matt Calman for a kōrero about the stunning illustrated nonfiction book, Mokorua: Ngā kōrero mō tōku moko kauae - My story of moko kauae, which is a revealing and emotional account of how Ariana received her moko kauae. Held in conjunction with Kanohi Kitea, an exhibition that presents tā moko amongst tangata whenua.

Celebrated singer and songwriter Theia presents re-imagined songs from her critically acclaimed alt-pop catalogue alongside dreamy waiata from her award-winning reo Māori project Te Kaahu.

From Amapiano to Hip Hop to UK bass to techno - this gig is all about full-glam, full-dance, full-noise to send the Festival off!