Creative New Zealand and Pātaka Art + Museum are delighted to announce Sevia Saviour Nua (Saviiey) as the recipient of the inaugural Aniva Arts Residency.

Saviiey will receive a stipend of $18,000 over three months from Creative New Zealand to develop an artistic exploration and representation of MVPFAFF+ peoples.

The project will be multi-disciplinary and be presented as an exhibition at Pātaka Art + Museum at the end of the residency.

"I'm excited to take up this opportunity to open doors for my community here in Porirua”, says Saviiery. “We have so many talented MVPFAFF+ creatives: their stories will be the main concern of the exhibition. I'm excited to present these stories and help wider audiences develop an understanding of who we are as people.”

Saviiey is a Fa’afafine with ancestral ties to the Sāmoan villages of Malie, Faleula and Asau on her mother’s side and Solosolo and Fagali’i on her father’s side. She was raised in Porirua and is driven by the need to create spaces within Porirua where MVPFAFF+ communities can gather and create.

Saviiey brings to the residency extensive experience in kapa haka and performing arts, as well as a background in teaching. She holds a BA in Māori Performing Arts and a BA in Primary Education through Te Wananga o Raukawa, as well as a Master of Education through Victoria University, and is currently undertaking further study. The interview panel was impressed with Saviiey’s vast experience and are thrilled to be hosting her in August.

“Fa’afafine and other MVPFAFF+ identities have always been a part of Pacific identity. As a māhū working in arts development, I understand the important relationship between social inclusion of LGBTQiA+ and MVPFAFF+ people and economic development,” says Kawika Aipa, Manager Pacific Arts at Creative New Zealand.

“The Aniva Arts Residency centralises this experience and values individuals who identify as such and allows the artist to grow their creative potential. We acknowledge the hard work of MVPFAFF+ artists that have paved the way for this generation to flourish, and we are committed to growing Pacific Arts excellence everywhere.”

The Aniva Arts Residency is funded by Creative New Zealand through the Pacific Arts Strategy 2018 - 2021 and delivered by Pātaka Art + Museum and will provide the recipient with the opportunity to develop and deliver an arts project, as well as extend their own professional practice. Saviiey will also be supported with a project budget and an external mentor.

“Opportunities like these are so important for the visibility of our LGBTQi+ community, both in the arts and in society,” adds Paul Lisi, Arts Practice Director at Creative New Zealand.

“Our voices and perspectives are valid, and we want to keep supporting all of our Pasifika artists, and uplift the work that they do for our communities."

DEFINITIONS: MVPFAFF (Pacific LGBTQiA+)

M for Mahu in Tahiti and Hawai'i.

V for Vaka sa lewa lewa in Fiji.

P for Palopa in Papua New Guinea.

F for Fa'afafine in Samoa and American Samoa.

A for Akava'ine in the Cook Islands.

F for Fakaleiti or leiti in the Kingdom of Tonga.

F for Fakafifine in Niue.

For more information or images, contact Pātaka’s Curator Māori Pacific, Ioana Gordon-Smith: ioana.gordon-smith@porirua.govt.nz