Te Ahurei Whakaari o Kōanga | Kōanga Festival
Celebrating new Māori storytelling at the time of Kōanga
Te piko o te whakaaro, te tupu o te whakaari, tākiritia!
In 2026, we celebrated our 12th Kōanga Festival, taking time to revel in the beauty and audacity of our creative natives and Tangata Moana mates amidst these challenging financial and political times. It's been an increasingly difficult landscape for creatives to navigate , engari our storytellers continued to rise with fresh ideas, keeping their stories alive and thriving, ahakoa te aha.
Our 2026 festival programme hummed with vibrant new voices and exciting showcases, alongside acclaimed artists and established stories. Together, we savoured the smorgasbord of shows and experiences that made Kōanga Festival 2026 so special.
In 2027 we officially take bloom and enter the ‘teen’ years! Until then, follow us on socials to stay in the know and check out some whakaahua from this year’s ahurei!
WHAKAAHUA | 2026 Kōanga Festival
WHAKAPAPA | Kōanga Festival
2026 marks the 12th annual Kōanga Festival. As we continue to move into double digits, we honour the journey taken to get to these special milestones. 2024 marked the biggest festival to date, spanning three and a half weeks with 11+ events – it was our most extensive national programme of whakaari Māori. In 2025 we went intimate, intentional and intergenerational. Focussing on supporting upcoming artists and playwrights across theatre works, contemporary dance and music. As well as celebrating our kaumatua and programming some of our key Māori creatives from Te Ao Whakaari and beyond.
Kōanga Festival has supported 44 new whakaari, and 51 new kaituhi since its inception.
We mihi to the very talented Tyrone Ohia & team at Extended Whānau, who held us through wānanga to deliver the fresh āhua of Kōanga Festival that will see us into the future of Māori storytelling.
The Kōanga Festival look you see today sprouted from the want to whakamana our ingoa through waituhi, giving strong visual symbolism to the name Kōanga and the unfurling of Māori stories. We went bold with the kōwhai; embracing our festival whakapapa, the kōwhai flower, happiness, sunshine, warmth, creativity, energy, and fun – everything that we believe the festival represents.
This year, we hero Te Henga, black sands, rugged West Coast whenua and the crashing moana . We are grateful to have our whare stand on the whenua of Te Kawerau a Maki and have immense pride in residing in the West
2026 Festival Programme
-
TĀKIRITIA
Festival opening event with opera, waiata, poetry, and prose.
-
WHĀNAU DAY
Free family-friendly event open to all. Storytelling, kapa haka, kōrero, and kai.
-
TE ARERO TOI
Free writing wānanga for kaituhi Māori.
-
IHIRANGARANGA
Live collaborative performance blending taonga puoro, spoken word, and real-time painting.
-
GRASS ROOTS
A musical comedy about the (very) queer son of a rugby player.
-
I WAS BORN TO SPEAK
A bilingual show using spoken word, theatre, and kapa haka to shine a light on the silencing of te reo Māori.
-
WAI TAWHITO
An acknowledgement story, a ritual, a challenge to the perception of time.
-
SCRIPTS & SIPS | SATURDAY
Play-readings of new works by Ellen-Moana Smith, Poe Tiare Tararo, and Roy Iro.
-
AROHA-HA
A celebration of Māori comedy, bringing together some of the funniest voices in the motu for one unforgettable night.
-
SCRIPTS & SIPS | SUNDAY
Play-readings of new works by Maioha Allen, Reon Te Aorangi Max Rose, Huia Max Rose, and Parekawa Finlay.
-
UPU
A stunning theatrical experience of Pacific poetry on stage. Festival closing event.
