Aronui Arts Festival Opening Show & Whakatau ‘Ko Rangi Ko Papa’

When: Sunday 1 September, 1pm - 3pm

Where: Te Papaiōuru Marae, Ōhinemutu, Rotorua.

E te tī, e te tā nau mai ki te rā tuatahi o Aronui - join us for the inaugural Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival launch at Te Papaīōuru, Ōhinemutu.

After the official festival opening, guests will be treated to a special 20 minute performance by Matiu Hamuera and Rosie Belvie, entitled, ‘Ko Rangi, ko Papa’.

It heralds the beginning of the Aronui Arts Festival and delves into the realms of Ranginui (Sky Father) and Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) in a mesmerizing and provocative performance on the ātea (foreground) before Tamatekapua.

Earth and sky come together to open the gateway to September’s month-long exploration of indigenous arts which celebrate, share and inspire our community and the voices of Rotorua indigenous artists and guests. Te Arawa E!

Te Miha

When: Sunday 8 September, 2pm

Where: Destiny Church Rotorua

Opus Orchestra, Kapa Haka and voice...a spine tingling experience not to be missed!

Kupu Māreikura – Translating the Diary of Anne Frank into Te Reo

When: Thursday 12 September, 6.30pm

Where: McLeods Booksellers, Pukuatua Street, Rotorua

This is your personal invitation to hear from a well-respected te reo Māori translator.

McLeods Booksellers are very excited to be hosting an evening with Te Haumihiata Mason who will be discussing, with Maraea Rakuraku, her work as a translator.

Te Haumihiata recently translated the Diary of Anne Frank. One of the most famous diaries ever published, this diary describes the experiences of Anne while in hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.

Mason's translations have also included popular music, Shakespearean plays, and work for the Government and the private sector.

Drinks and nibbles will be served at the end of the evening. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions.

Copies of Anne Frank: Te Rataka a Tetahi Kohine will be available to purchase and have signed.

Please join us for a lovely evening celebrating te reo Māori during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and the Aronui Arts Festival.

‘What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it happening again’ - Anne Frank

'E kore a muri e hokia, ēngari kia kaha tātou kia kaua tērā āhuatanga e pā mai anō' - Anne Frank

Ngā Kākano o Aronui - The New Works Project

When: Friday 13 September, 7pm

Where: Monarch Room, Prince’s Gate, Arawa Street, Rotorua

This is your exclusive opportunity to hear snippets of brand new works including brand new musicals, dance works and theatre shows written, produced and performed by our very own local indigenous artists Jack Grace, Bobby Howard and Matiu Hamuera.

Be one of the first to hear their new works which are expected to sell-out quickly.

Aronui Māori Market

When: Sunday 15 September, 12pm

Where: Ruapeka, near Tūnohopū Marae, Ōhinemutu, Rotorua

The Aronui Māori Market is a whānau event, run in association with Te Puni Kōkiri, where families and individuals can come together to celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. ‘The Ruapeka’ is situated across from Paratehoata Te Kohea Marae, also known as Tūnohopū.

It will be an afternoon full of indigenous experiences, such as unique Māori art, kai (food) and activities that you can enjoy while listening to waiata Māori (Māori music) performed by local and guest artists. A fun day out for the whole whānau.

Piki mai, kake mai – nau mai rā ki Ruapeka!

Nzmaci Arts Symposium

When: 16,17,18,19 September, 10am

Where: Te Puia - Rotorua, NZ

Today we kick of our NZMACI Arts symposium as part of the Aronui Arts Festival here in Rotorua, New Zealand. Join us each day for panel discussions and examples of work from some of Te Arawa's top Māori visual artists.

Nzmaci Traditional Arts Symposium

When: Friday 20 September, 1pm

Where: NZ Maori Arts & Crafts Institute

Join critically acclaimed indigenous carvers, weavers and tā moko artists, as they kōrero about their various art forms and their journey to date.

There will be three to four guest speakers per panel discussion, with each day featuring different mediums, including wood carving, weaving, stone and bone, tā moko, and bronze guest speakers, panel discussion.

Whanonga Pono Exhibition

When: 18 September - 29 September

Where: The Arts Village

Whanonga Pono is a vibrant, colourful and bold contemporary style that draws your eye into the energy created by Zena Elliott’s artworks. Elliott hails from Ngāti Awa, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Ngāi Te Rangi and Te Arawa.

Her taonga (treasures) are a cross-pollination of society, gender and historical vibrancy influenced by street art and abstract paintings, which radiates her whakapapa (ancestry).

Her works challenge whether the norms of today’s society is apace with growing digital media, and tests whether an artistic ‘voice’ can be unveiled within an international community as well as a multi-complex framework encompassing personal, national and cultural identities.

Elliott, who completed her Master of Visual Arts with distinction from the Waikato Institute of Technology in 2006, is currently working as an independent researcher and Māori visual arts lecturer for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Toi Āmai

When: 18 September - 20 September, 8pm

Where: Pop-up gallery, 1201 Eruera Street, Rotorua

Toi Āmai is an interarts collaborative piece of theatre, which forces us to look at the way we treat Papatūānuku and women.

It also explores the way we affect and are impacted by the world around us.

This evolution of Toi Āmai intuits a wider vision we have for the work, which is to grow into a multi-disciplinary, community-driven, theatrical treatise on indigenous worldview thinking.

Māori Theatre Wānanga

When: Thursday 19 September, 10am

Where: Pop-up gallery, 1201 Eruera Street, Rotorua

Māori theatre practitioners unite to discuss the current state of Māori theatre in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Te Arawa Rangatahi involvement, kaupapa drive.

The wānanga will be led by Toi Āmai artists, Juanita Hepi, Tola Newberry and Scotty Cotter.

Super HUGH-Man

When: Saturday 21 September, 7pm

Where: Blue Baths Shows & Entertainment

Super HUGH-Man is an award-winning autobiographical solo show by acclaimed entertainer, Rutene Spooner.

A musical love letter to actor and broadway star, Hugh Jackman.

Rotorua Indigenous Film Festival

When: Saturday 28 September, 7pm

Where: Rotorua

JoiA collection of storytellers unit to deliver a celebration of their works, which cast a light on indigenous film making in Aotearoa, New Zealand and shares the stories of Māori.

A variety of both feature and short films have been carefully selected for the festival and emptomises the essence of Māori values of manaakitanga (hospitality) and kōtahitanga (unity).

RIFF 2019 will include films, party events, Manupirua hot pools screening, workshops, panels and MasterClass - and not forgetting the Pitch Contest!

Access to screenings are available through gold coin donation, book via the festival website and Facebook page.

Tertiary students are eligible to purchase the Industry pass however student ID must be presented on the days of attendance.n Indigenous Carvers, Weavers and Tāmoko Artists as they kōrero (talk) about their various art forms and their journey to date.