Visiting artists welcomed to Wellington for Aotearoa Arts Festival

Friday, 23 February 2024

Take a sneak peek at the main four acts headlining the 2024 Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts.

For some artists and creators taking part in this year’s Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, a pōwhiri welcoming them to Wellington was their first experience of the country.

Running from February 23 to March 17, the biennial festival – which has been held since 1986 – is the country’s biggest celebration of free and ticketed contemporary arts experiences.

The pōwhiri, held on Friday morning, saw both local and international creatives welcomed to the creative capital as the festival gets underway.

Artists were welcomed into Te Wharewaka o Pōneke - Wharewaka Function Centre on Friday morning by Te Āti Awa and Taranaki Whānui.

For Gerald McDermott, originally from Scotland, it was his first time in Aotearoa.

A lighting technician for Akram Khan Company’s Jungle Book reimagined, which opens the festival at Wellington’s St James Theatre later tonight, he said to be able to take part was a huge honour.

It was the first time in Aotearoa for Gerald McDermott, a lightning technician over from Scotland as part of the Jungle Book team.

With artists invited to share at the end of the pōwhiri, McDermott chose to read a poem by Scotland’s Robert Burns, To a Mouse, saying it touched on themes important to the festival and indigenous communities.

Performer Meow Meow sang, while a group of dancers from Akram Khan Company shared one of their performances from Jungle Book reimagined.

Angela Green the executive director of Tāwhiri, the creative force behind the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, said some contributors had come more than 20,000km to take part.

Mere Boynton, director Ngā Toi Māori of Tāwhiri.

At a time when the world faced many challenges ‒ climate-related, political and social ‒ there was healing through the beauty of art, movement, music, photos and pictures, she said.

“The art of connecting becomes more essential in this moment. The act of re-imagining, creating.”

Artists, including this group of dancers, shared their own talents as part of the pōwhiri.

Mere Boynton, Tāwhiri’s director Ngā Toi Māori, echoed her sentiments.

She said the stories of Aotearoa and its indigenous people had been a guiding light for the festival, describing Wellington as the sapphire in a ring of pounamu.

Through the festival, Boynton hoped to create a platform for indigenous artists and creatives “to share, to provoke and delight the senses”.

The festival runs from February 23 to March 17. The full programme can be found online here.