The 2025 Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival has been launched, with waiata and Māori singers taking a central role.
In March, the 18-day festival will begin with Kia Kori! Let’s Move!, a dance party hosted by Betty-Anne Monga of Ardijah, Thomas Stowers, and Julia Deans, with music from The Levites, before taking the opening night energy to events across the city.
This season’s Māori-focused shows include Ngā Whakamāoritanga | Translations, exploring the power of te reo, Toiere, an opera selection translated into te reo Māori, and Whiua ki te Ao, celebrating Māori music with artists like Maisey Rika and others from the recently released Aotearoa Songbook.
Kaihautū Māori Ataahua Papa says for the first time, the festival will feature an Indigenous music series with a strong Māori connection.
“So we’re bringing artists from the United States, and a young wahine from Tūwharetoa, who has whakapapa Māori but is also African American and Creoles, bringing her in from Texas, a group from Hawaii, and also a Native American trumpeter. So there’s some really exciting things on the horizon, from the 6th to the 23rd of March,” says Papa.
Tickets are now available online here.
