It's not often the state of the arts is all that state-of-the-art.

But a new jewel in the crown of Tāmaki Makaurau could prove to be a game-changer for many organisations looking to take their next tech step.

On Wednesday night (14 May), Te Puna Creative Hub held its inaugural Open Studio - showing off the impressive West Auckland complex working at full capacity for the first time and a formal blessing of the Hub's mauri stone.

The completion has been some time coming - with the sound recording and podcasting production suites the final pieces of the puzzle now in place as the Hub fires on all cylinders.

The new facilities also include Kōmanawa - a multi-functional 159 seat digital theatre - and Takawai - a 466sqm black box studio - as well as industry office spaces (with the likes of Crescendo and Click Studios already among the tennants) and a new, hireable boardroom suitable for team and client meetings, creative brainstorms and pitching sessions.

Te Puna is a collaboration between Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and Te Kawerau ā Maki iwi, utilising the former Whoa! Studios building on Henderson Valley Road. The Big Idea was among those to attend the Open Studio, left impressed by the capacity for creativity and innovation that the souped-up venue has to offer.

Jasmine Millet, Head of Creative Industries at TAU told The Lowdown that Te Puna has already proven to be a success, housing everything from music video shoots and soundtrack recordings to industry workshops and cultural performance rehearsals - and the calendar is growing.

"We've had a Māori climate innovation conference, next week we've got AI Forum and WeCreate hosting their one-day conference on the role of AI in the creative industries. 

"We've had a Tongan choir come in and use it, we've got kapa haka coming through on a weekly basis. Te Puna's also hosted television commercials, as well as a costume department for an international screen production in the studio and in the offices next door.

"Now that we don't have construction going on next door, we're really keen to dial it up and get a whole lot more happening, to really test what the venue can do. We think that it can do a lot." 

With the doors now wide open, the Hub is billing itself as "a meeting place for the next generation of creative innovation, collaboration, showcasing and learning" and "an ambitious initiative to catalyse screen, media, digital and creative technology, art, game development, music and performing arts in west Auckland."

Millet notes "It's going to be a great place for live music - there's a real dearth of live music venues of West Auckland. We've put in a semi-sprung dance floor in the theatre, as we've heard for a long time that there was a real shortage of spaces with a sprung floor, especially in West Auckland. So there is one now. 

"There's also an infinity wall in the theatre, which allows immersive projection to take place. Things like that are there to create the conditions for people to innovate and push the boundaries with the kind of work that they're either developing locally or wanting to showcase."

Te Puna Creative Hub now moves into activation mode, offering training and upskilling initiatives, as well as providing the local community and creative businesses with access to its world-class resources and opportunities.

"I think that kind of industry knowledge sharing, masterclasses, conferences and workshops - that's another really important role that Hub will play in just convening people to talk about things and learn from each other, demo stuff. We always need to do that in the creative sector, and sometimes it's hard to find the places to do it." 

Millet has laid out the welcome mat for those in the sector to come and explore the new innovation hub - and be limited by just their imagination.

"I think the opportunity for creatives is to come in and work out how they can use it - it's kind of a pick and mix. It's not a traditional theatre space, it's not a traditional live music space, it's not a whole standalone film studio facility.

"So the message to creatives is, what can you do with these tools and these spaces all in one place? Especially with some of the newer tech that can be harder to get hold of. 

"Come and play, come and innovate. Come and ask us which bits you want to be involved in, and who you would need as creative partners and collaborators to do the kind of work that you want to do. That's what we want to be offering. 

"Yes, it's a building with some cool stuff in it, in a location that's close to where a lot of creative people live. But how can the Hub build and help play a role in building the creative partnerships that will spur the next phase of creative work that we're going to produce here in Tāmaki Makaurau?"

An open-ended question for a sector that is always looking to break new ground.

AWF off with a bang

It's all go in Tāmaki Makaurau this week, with another of May's cultural highlights in full swing - the Auckland Writers Festival (AWF).

More than 170 writers and creatives are lined up to share their passion, knowledge and talents with appreciative audiences through until Sunday (18 May).

AWF Director Catriona Ferguson told The Lowdown things are off to a flyer.

"We kicked off the Festival on Tuesday with thousands of school children streaming through the doors of the Aotea Centre. It was an absolute thrill to see so many excited faces light up as they met some of their literary heroes. Highlights included the energetic Swedish illustrator/writer duo The Pinchers, Australian author Anton Clifford-Motopi, and local favourites Stacy Gregg and Anthony Elworthy.

"Our first adult event featured the ever-amazing Trent Dalton in conversation with Michelle Langstone. Their wide-ranging discussion offered deep insight into Trent’s writing and was the perfect opportunity for our friends at Auckland Live to announce a major upcoming event: the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Brisbane Festival’s stage production of Love Stories, based on Trent’s beloved collection of the same name in October."

AWF has also hosted one of the biggest nights on the literary calendar, the Ockham NZ Book Awards (winners can be found here, broken down on The Big Idea). Ferguson notes "It’s a privilege to celebrate the very best of Aotearoa’s writing and we’re looking forward to hearing from many of the shortlisted authors across the weekend."

There's a huge number of influential and impactful New Zealanders holding court with talks and signing sessions in the days ahead, while Ferguson lists among the festival's highlights the Friday Night Spice Salon (described as "laugh-out-loud, cheeky, and cheerfully smutty") and some of the leading international creatives like 2024 Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey, iconic noir writer Ian Rankin and the final act of the Festival, Irish literary legend Colm Tóibín.

Māori musicians in focus

A trio of Aotearoa artists have helped take New Zealand Music Month to the world - after getting the opportunity to perform at the award-winning FOCUS Wales international music festival in the weekend.

Māori bilingual recording artists Mohi, Jordyn with a Why, and Mā each performed two sets throughout the three-day Wrexham-based festival supported by band members from New Zealand.

Mohi told The Lowdown the trip were honoured "to share our culture and our language, the stories that we each carry in our own songs and whakapapa. 

"It makes me feel even more proud to sing in te reo Māori for audiences that also hold their own language and culture dear.  

"It's a huge privilege, and we don't take it lightly, because we know that these connections that we make will hopefully build pathways and opportunities for the next Māori artists. 

"I hope that from this kaupapa there will be collaborations in the future – new songs, new music with Māori and Welsh musicians and communities, helping to revitalise and normalise both languages.” 

Mohi and Jordyn with a Why also represented Aotearoa on the FOCUS Panel discussion Reflections on Music and Language in Cymru and Aotearoa -  exploring music as a platform for expressing language and culture - and an Aotearoa: New Zealand Networking Reception event.

Coming off the back of last year's Māori / Cymraeg SongHub in Auckland, the invitation to FOCUS Wales is a a big one - with around 22,000 attendees, more than 250 artists across 20 stages in various venues throughout the city.

Almost as impressive is the number of organisations putting their heads together to make the occasion possible for the NZ performers - British Council NZ and the Pacific, APRA AMCOS Aotearoa, Creative NZ, NZ Music Commission, Cardiff University, Wales Arts International, Arts Council of Wales, British Council Wales and the British High Commission in Wellington.

Natasha Beckman, Director, British Council New Zealand and the Pacific explains the importance of the kaupapa. “The reclamation and revitalisation of both the Welsh language, Cymraeg, and te reo Māori through music is a powerful story that inspires people across the globe."

APRA AMCOS's Mike Hall adds “This is an incredible opportunity for our artists to share Aotearoa's unique musical voice on an international stage and share our experience of language revitalisation through music. 

International opportunities

As shown above, opportunities to take flight are starting to roll back in for New Zealand creatives.

The British Council's Connections Through Culture funding grant window is currently open through to 23 June (explained here on The Big Idea) and a new trans-Tasman window has just opened up.

Artspace Aotearoa has announced they've partnered with La Trobe Art Institute (LAI) to facilitate a new international artist residency, supporting an early-career artist to travel to Regional Victoria.

Director Ruth Buchanan told The Lowdown "We are excited to contribute to the forging of deeper exchange with our Australian neighbours. 

"We’ve heard the desire for this clearly from our artist community - this residency opportunity has come directly out of this type of exchange. We were lucky to host leading Melbourne-based artist Andy Butler in 2022 and again in 2024, who saw the resonances between our work and the aspirations of LAI and connected us. 

"This residency braids beautifully into our annual New Commissions programme, which has a strong focus on fostering new growth. This programme engages three Tāmaki Makaurau early-career artists across a year and culminates in an exhibition that closes out our programmatic year with this sense of emergence. We see this new residency as providing the opportunity to nurture emergence in a new and exciting context."

Successful applicants will travel to LAI in Djaara/Bendigo for a two week period during lawan and boyn (7–21 October) - a season for harvest and growth cycles and of new beginnings, where new relationships can be seeded. Applications close on Monday 26 May.

Record numbers for big event

The numbers are in for the Aotearoa Art Fair at the beginning of the month - with new records set.

The 1-4 May event draw nearly 11,000 visitors, the biggest turn out in the fair's 20-year history and it certainly appears many brought their wallets with them.

Galleries reported over $4 million in combined sales, with some exhibitors selling out their booths - meaning more New Zealand art is hanging on the wall of New Zealand homes, businesses and institutions.

Over 50 galleries from here and Australia took part, with the biggest international contingent so far.

Anna Jackson, Director of Gow Langsford, one of New Zealand’s largest galleries, gave the event glowing praise. 

“We enjoyed meaningful exchanges with new collectors, strong sales, and incredibly positive feedback. The calibre of presentations and the Aotearoa Art Fair Sculpture Trail presented by Viaduct Harbour added real depth, reaffirming the strength of a community committed to a thriving visual arts scene in Aotearoa.”

Gallerist Tim Melville was equally impressed, hosting Nephi Tupaea’s solo show which sold out in three hours. “With a record number of exhibiting Māori artists, and standing-room-only at the Talks Theatre Kōrero, it’s obvious that the 2025 Fair has raised the bar. It’s incredibly heartening”.

Fair Director Sue Waymouth notes "It was incredibly rewarding to see such a diverse and engaged audience connecting with the art and the galleries. 

"The Fair creates an incredible platform for artists to launch their careers and I was excited to see significant public art institutions purchasing works for their collections”.

Those attendance numbers don't even include the debut of the fair's free Sculpture Trail, which drew thousands more spectators - sure to return in future editions.

Box of fluffies

Another accolade for Auckland artist Simon Lewis Wards - awarded the $5,000 Small Sculpture Prize.

The exhibition at the Waiheke Community Art Gallery opened on Friday with 32 of the 88 entries selected for display, with Wards collecting the top gong for his bronze and glass crystal work, Unboxing. 

Wards details of the bronze and glass crystal work "We chase the high of getting, not having. The box becomes the star, not what’s inside. My kids unwrap their gifts, toss the toys, and play with the packaging. Maybe they see it clearer than we do - it’s the moment, not the stuff, that really sticks."

Judge Tim Melville agrees, stating the sculpture "pushes the viewer back and forth between disbelief and delight. The cast cardboard box looks as light as, well, cardboard, while the glass bubble wrap looks as soft as plastic. A technical tour-de-force by an artist at the top of his game with a wonderful 'oh-my-god' quality."

Wards talent for capturing the imagination and links to childhood memories is a popular feature in The Big Idea's video series.

In its 12th year, the Small Sculpture Award gives out $8,500 in prizes, with Debbie Tubb recognised with the Merit Award for her work Get Off the Grass.

Melville states "Get Off the Grass delights the viewer in a completely different way. Her textile sculpture is a joyful extravaganza of off-kilter colour and tassels that pulls you in from across the room. The artwork has a personality that (while the artist probably didn't intend it) made me think of a small bird tearing across the wall at speed. 

"Not many sculptures make you want to laugh, and this one is a perfect antidote for our dark times."

The exhibition runs until 8 June, when the people's choice award will be handed out. 

Creative petition hits the Beehive

The petition to Reinstate the Creatives in Schools Programme has officially been handed in to Parliament, with around 80 dedicated supporters putting on music, singing, puppets, art and speeches. 

After her rallying cry in The Big Idea, Dr Kerryn Palmer presented 3260 signatures to Labour Arts spokesperson Rachel Boyack (the petition is still open to sign by clicking here).

A number of educators and artists were among those to speak on the steps of the Beehive, but perhaps the most important voices were those of the students that can articulate the impact the CiS programme has had. 

Newlands College student Bee George was particularly impactful. "I never fit in with the traditional model of school until I had access to theatre spaces. I have found the place I feel I belong within the arts.

"School itself is a struggle for most, especially when most classes tend to feel like someone talking information at you…..It is almost isolating. We feel alone, unheard, unwanted.

"These creative lessons also teach life skills. In drama, one of the first things you’re taught is that “acting is reacting”. This creative subject makes students think about how they would REACT in a variety of situations. Teaching us, students, the future of our world, to react with consequences in mind that will assist us to function well in this place. 

"Access to the arts would give many the opportunities that I’ve had to lead, the opportunity to learn to cooperate with others, the opportunity to connect. 

"This is the real world, the big scary thing that your kids are going to face. They need to be prepared, and the skills that creatives assist in developing will help build that framework for us to live and thrive."

Schoolmate Will McLean adds "I understand that drama may not seem as important as economics but can you blame me for wanting an outlet? Can you blame me for wanting to look down at a script and create new worlds on a stage when I haven't been given a good world to look up at?"

Dr Palmer notes it was disappointing that neither Minister of Education Erica Stanford or Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith showed up, given the Creatives in Schools programme is directly impacted by both of their portforlios.

Once the petition has officially been accepted, the committee will invite organisers to make a written submission in which they are able to expand their position.

Girls Rock Aotearoa's big night

Another movement putting rangatahi first is celebrating a major milestone this weekend and hoping to raise funds to keep making its mahi count.

A fun night hanging with us and our amazing supporters from the Aotearoa and Tāmaki music, arts and youthwork sectors.

Founded in 2018, Girls Rock Aotearoa has recently gained official charity status so to mark their "level-up" by throwing a combination party/ fundraiser at The Hollywood Avondale in Tāmaki Makaurau on Saturday.

As well as building up the next generation of musicians and creatives, Girls Rock Aotearoa uses the medium of music to build confidence and empowerment for young women, trans, intersex, takatāpui, queer and gender-diverse youth. 

CEO Eliana Gray told The Lowdown they're determined to enact social change through youth development and amplifying marginalised voices.

"Our 'To The Front' workshops and holiday programmes are on the frontlines of youth wellbeing for young women and gender minorities. The joy, confidence and sense of self we see blossom at our programmes is truly life-changing. 

"A lot of participants feel like they've finally found 'their people' and that sense of belonging and community means everything." 

A fun night out for a good cause.

Write attitude

Half a dozen young writers have been given an extra nudge of support, with the NZ Society of Authors revealing the recipients of its Ngā Kaituhi Māori Mentorship and Kupu Kaitiaki Programmes for 2025.

Four emerging writers who have each been selected for the Mentor Programme, with a six-month opportunity to work with an award-winning acclaimed Māori author with Ōtaki's Hoani Hakaraia and Tommy de Silva from Tāmaki Makaurau both matched with Cassie Hart, Mereana Latimer given Emma Hislop as a mentor and fellow Te Whanganui-a-Tara writer Tallullah Cardno linked with Steph Matuku.

The two emerging writers selected for the Kupu Kaitiaki Assessment programme are Rose Toia and Billy Tangaere, who will receive detailed feedback on their writing and discuss next steps with their manuscript assessor.

Matua DCNZM QSM (Ngāti Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki), NZSA's Ngā Kaituhi Māori Chair, Witi Ihimaera states "E ngā kaituhi tātou, ngā mihi. It’s always thrilling to read the work of new writers and to trust to your potential, congratulations, mīharo. 

"To those who weren’t successful in your applications to the Mentorship and Assessment programmes, keep trying, I was once in your ranks! Kia kaha to all, kia manawanui."

Chante's success

From the lows of personal loss to the highs of becoming the best in the world - New Zealand dancer Chante Mueller has had a whirlwind few weeks.

Mueller, along with her Aussie dance partner Jonathon Fox, have been crowned Senior Ballroom champions at The Open Worlds in Blackpool, UK.

The win is a bittersweet one, with Mueller unable to share the win with two of her biggest supporters. Her grandparents John and Ginny Mueller both passed away within a week of each other at the start of the month.

Mueller and Fox have been racking up titles across New Zealand and Australia in the lead up to the Open Worlds, but this was a major step up to the world stage.

Mueller shared "This win wasn’t just about one night. It was about every hour of practice, every sacrifice, every injury, every setback, every doubt and still choosing to show up. Again and again. For the love of the craft, for the dream, for the chance to chase something bigger than ourselves. 

"To stand under the lights in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom and hear our names called is a feeling I’ll never forget.

"To anyone out there quietly chasing a dream this is proof hard work matters. Passion matters. Belief matters. Age doesn’t matter."