Aotearoa’s premier festival of Māori and Pacific performing arts is set to return this spring with its most ambitious programme to date, showcasing a diverse mix of theatre, music, comedy, spoken word, visual arts and community events.
Kōanga Festival will celebrate its 12th year at Te Pou Theatre from 10–20 September, bringing together established artists and emerging creatives in an eleven-day celebration of Indigenous storytelling.
Named after the season of kōanga—a time of renewal and new growth—the festival continues its mission of nurturing new voices, developing original Māori and Pacific works, and providing a platform for Indigenous artists at a time when New Zealand’s arts sector faces increasing financial pressures.
Festival organisers say this year’s programme is the most varied in the event’s history, reflecting the richness and diversity of Māori and Pacific creative expression.
A Stage for New Stories
Since its inception, Kōanga Festival has become one of Aotearoa’s leading incubators for Māori theatre, supporting the creation of 45 new whakaari (plays) and 51 emerging playwrights, helping shape the next generation of Indigenous storytellers.
The festival has earned a reputation for presenting works in development alongside established productions, giving audiences a rare opportunity to experience stories at every stage of their creative journey.
Artistic Director Amber Curreen says the 2026 programme celebrates the depth of Māori and Pacific creativity through an exciting blend of traditional and contemporary performance.
This year’s programme spans everything from te reo Māori opera and taonga pūoro to haka theatre, comedy, spoken word, street dance and family-friendly performances.
Opening with Te Reo in Song
The festival opens on 10 September with Tākiritia!, presented in partnership with the New Zealand Opera.
Hosted by Kawiti Waetford, the one-night-only event brings together opera, waiata, poetry and prose to celebrate the beauty and richness of te reo Māori, featuring leading singers, poets and performers in a unique fusion of music and storytelling.
Whānau at the Centre
One of the festival’s most popular events returns on 12 September with the free Whānau Day, transforming Te Pou Theatre and the Corban Estate Arts Centre into a vibrant hub of creativity.
Thousands of visitors are expected to enjoy storytelling, kapa haka, live music, theatre for tamariki, workshops, market stalls, kai vendors, street dance, cultural performances and interactive activities throughout the day.
The event has become a cornerstone of the festival, encouraging whānau of all ages to experience Māori and Pacific performing arts in an accessible and welcoming environment.
Celebrating Indigenous Creativity
Among the highlights is Ihirangaranga on 13 September, an immersive multidisciplinary performance combining taonga pūoro, live music, spoken word and live speed painting.
The performance features renowned taonga pūoro practitioner Horomona Horo, alongside Dr Jeremy Mayall, Michael Moore and Regan Balzer, creating a unique artistic exploration grounded in Māori cultural concepts.
Later in the festival, audiences can enjoy the Auckland premiere of Grass Roots, a musical comedy by Raureti Ormond exploring identity, rugby culture and growing up as the queer son of a professional rugby player.
Giving Voice to Te Reo
Coinciding with Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, I Was Born To Speak takes the stage on 17 and 18 September.
Written and performed by Billy Reynolds McCarthy, the solo production blends spoken word, theatre and kapa haka to tell a deeply personal story about reclaiming te reo Māori, reconnecting with whakapapa and giving voice to stories that have often been overlooked.
Sharing the programme across the same evenings is Wai Tawhito, a new theatre work by Tūrongo Collective, exploring Oceanic identity, interconnected ecosystems and Indigenous understandings of time and existence.
The Future of Māori Theatre
At the heart of Kōanga Festival remains the Kōanga Playwrights Programme, returning with its popular SCRIPTS & SIPS play-reading brunches on 19 and 20 September.
Under the mentorship of acclaimed playwright Victor Rodger, alongside Amber Curreen and Tainui Tukiwaho, audiences will experience four brand-new works exploring themes including friendship, grief, Māori K-Pop and magical worlds.
The programme provides an invaluable opportunity for audiences to witness new Māori theatre in its earliest stages while supporting emerging writers.
Laughter and Poetry
Comedy also takes centre stage with AROHA-HA on 19 September, featuring leading Māori comedians including Kura Forrester, Timprovise, Hoani Hotene and Janaye Henry.
Created in honour of late writer and comedian Aroha Awarau, the evening celebrates the role of humour in bringing communities together while showcasing the strength of Māori comedy.
The festival concludes on 20 September with the acclaimed spoken-word production UPU, returning to Tāmaki Makaurau after several years away.
Featuring the work of 23 First Nations poets from across the Pacific, the production weaves together poetry, theatre and storytelling performed by a cast including Nathaniel Lees, Nicola Kāwana and Jarod Rāwiri, celebrating the diverse voices and experiences of Indigenous peoples across Oceania.
Celebrating Indigenous Excellence
As Kōanga Festival enters its second decade, it continues to cement its place as one of New Zealand’s leading Indigenous arts festivals.
At a time when arts organisations face ongoing funding pressures, the festival remains committed to developing new Māori and Pacific work while creating opportunities for artists to tell stories grounded in whakapapa, language and identity.
For audiences, Kōanga Festival 2026 promises more than entertainment—it offers a celebration of Indigenous creativity, cultural resilience and the enduring power of storytelling to connect communities across generations.
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