Documenting practitioners and their work as inter-medium reconciliation, Nā Trinity Thompson Brown.
Celebrate Māori Arts This June
EVENTS JUNE 2025
Auckland Matariki Festival 2025: Honouring Te Wai and the Spirit of Matariki
7 June – 13 July 2025 | Tāmaki Makaurau | Free Events Across the City
Mānawatia a Matariki! Auckland’s beloved Matariki Festival returns from 7 June to 13 July, bringing a vibrant celebration of the Māori lunar new year to life through a city-wide programme of free kaupapa (events and activities).
This year’s festival invites locals and visitors alike to embrace te ao Māori through interactive experiences, live performances, and art installations, all inspired by the 2025 theme: te wai (the water). From its physical presence in rivers and oceans to its spiritual essence as a life-giving force, wai holds deep cultural and cosmological meaning in Māori traditions — making it the perfect focus for this year’s celebration.
Festival Highlights:
Waka paddling experiences offering a hands-on connection to ancestral navigation and the ocean
Kapa haka performances that showcase the strength, beauty, and unity of Māori performing arts
Te Pokapū o Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland city centre) transformed with toi Māori – including large-scale murals, sculpture, and dazzling neon artworks
Special wai-themed events and workshops across Tāmaki Makaurau for all ages
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/562972/matariki-takes-to-the-water-for-2025-festival
Mānawatia a Matariki: Ria Hall and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Unite for Te Tau Hou Māori
Join us for an unforgettable evening of music, mana, and mātauranga as we celebrate Matariki and welcome in te tau hou Māori (the Māori New Year) at the iconic Auckland Town Hall.
On Thursday 19 June at 7:30 PM, acclaimed kaiwaiata (vocalist) Ria Hall takes the stage alongside Te Rāngai Puoro o Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra) for a spellbinding performance that blends the power of waiata Māori with the grandeur of a full symphony orchestra.
In this one-night-only celebration, audiences will experience orchestral renditions of some of Hall’s most powerful songs — including ‘They Come Marching’, ‘Te Ahi Kai Pō’, and ‘Black Light’ — reimagined through lush arrangements that highlight the depth of her voice and message. With every note, the performance honours Matariki’s themes of remembrance, renewal, and unity, weaving together reo Māori, orchestral soundscapes, and cultural reflection.
https://allevents.in/auckland/matariki-with-ria-hall/200028202797105
Toi Koru: Celebrating the Vibrant Legacy of Dr Sandy Adsett
A Major Survey Exhibition Honouring a Māori Master of Colour and Kōwhaiwhai
Toi Koru is a landmark exhibition that celebrates the extraordinary life and legacy of Dr Sandy Adsett MNZM (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pāhauwera) — one of Aotearoa’s most influential Māori artists and cultural leaders. This major survey exhibition showcases Adsett’s bold and vibrant works from the late 1960s through to today, offering a rare and powerful insight into his ara toi (artistic journey) and unwavering commitment to the advancement of toi Māori.
Born in 1939 on his whānau pāmu (family farm) in Raupunga, a small Ngāti Pāhauwera community on the East Coast of Te Ika-a-Māui, Adsett has forged a career that spans more than six decades. His signature use of colour, kōwhaiwhai (traditional rafter patterns), and form has become iconic within contemporary Māori art.
Beyond his work as a ringatoi (artist), Adsett is widely respected as a kaiako (educator), mentor, and cultural advocate. He has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of contemporary Māori art in Aotearoa and internationally, working alongside fellow pioneers to lay the foundations for new generations of Māori artists, curators, educators, and museum professionals.
Toi Koru honours this incredible legacy, celebrating Adsett’s vision, voice, and enduring influence across the ao toi Māori (Māori arts world). Through decades of innovation, cultural leadership, and storytelling, Adsett’s work continues to inspire and uplift, reinforcing the importance of toi Māori within the national narrative and beyond.
https://www.aaf.co.nz/whats-on/toi-koru-sandy-adsett
Taane Mete Returns with Powerful New Matariki Performance HĪKOI
An Unmissable Fusion of Dance, Music, and Unity at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Renowned performer and choreographer Taane Mete returns to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki this Matariki season with HĪKOI — a powerful and deeply moving new performance honouring unity, healing, and the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar).
Building on the momentum of his past work, Mete collaborates this year with a collective of ringatoi (creatives) to bring HĪKOI to life. Together, they weave together kanikani (dance), waiata, puoro mataora (live music), and toikupu (poetry) in a multidisciplinary performance that reflects the rich cultural significance of Matariki.
Inspired by the whetū Tupuārangi—the star associated with food from the sky and spiritual nourishment—and the peaceful hīkoi (march) of Noema 2024, this performance maps the journey of that nine-day walk onto the celestial story of the nine stars of Matariki. The result is an evocative work that explores themes of kotahitanga (unity) and our interconnectedness with atua (gods), tāngata (people), whenua (land), wā (time), and kaupapa (purpose).
More than a performance, HĪKOI is a timely reminder of the need to restore and reenergise—both ourselves and our mahi (work)—through the wisdom of te ao Māori and the guiding light of Matariki.
https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/whats-on/event/hikoi-a-taane-mete-performance
Matariki Ahi Kā – Celebrate with Mahuta
MAHUTA: A One-Night-Only Matariki Celebration at The Tuning Fork
Friday 20 June 2025 | 6:30PM – 11:00PM | The Tuning Fork, Te Tōangaroa
Join us this Matariki for an unforgettable night of music, connection, and celebration at The Tuning Fork in Te Tōangaroa. On Friday 20 June 2025, MAHUTA lights up the evening with an electrifying lineup of live performances that honour the energy of Matariki Ahi Kā – the fires of home.
Running from 6:30PM to 11:00PM, MAHUTA blends nostalgic sounds with bold new talent, offering a fresh take on Matariki through music and storytelling. Experience the powerful vocals of Majic Paora and Shelby Teua, alongside special guest performances by Ms Hollie Smith and rising star Jaedyn Randell.
This one-night-only event celebrates the uplifting spirit of whānau, whakapapa, and whenua. It's a moment to slow down, reflect, and reconnect – together.
Presented by Te Tōangaroa, MAHUTA is more than just a concert. It’s a night where the magic of music transforms space into storytelling, where the rhythms of our ancestors pulse through modern sound, and where the warmth of Matariki brings us home.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DKIno42hXWg/?igsh=cXFyM2w0ZG85ZXEy