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Nau Mai, Haere Mai
Mā te pohewa mā te auaha hoki, ka whakapuaki ngā kura e huna ana. With imagination and creativity a hidden jewel can be revealed. Welcome to Toi Ōtautahi.

Nau Mai, Welcome to Toi Ōtautahi – The virtual arts office for Ōtautahi, Christchurch.

Toi Ōtautahi is a partnership project between Christchurch City Council, Creative NZ, Rātā Foundation, Mana Whenua, and Manatū Taonga Ministry of Culture and Heritage.

Christchurch has produced some of this country’s best known and most celebrated artists and artworks, and Ōtautahi continues to be a place where innovation and radical creativity flourishes. We are unapologetic supporters and champions for the significant role the city and its creatives have played, and continue to play in Aotearoa.

We want this site to celebrate all that is creative in the city and its wider environs and we want you to be part of it. Whether you’re a creative, an organisation, an audience member, a supporter or a visitor to this city, let us know what we can do to help make Ōtautahi the best city for creativity in Aotearoa.

Latest News

Toi Ōtautahi 1st Wednesdays Arts Workshops – 2025

Make a standing booking in your diary for the first Wednesday of every month, for the Toi Ōtautahi free arts development workshops.
Opportunities & Proposals
Stoddart Cottage Call for Artists
Stoddart Cottage Gallery is currently calling for proposals from individual artists, groups, or those interested in taking part in group…
Visual Arts
Opportunities & Proposals
Community Arts Advisor Kāhapai Toi – Fixed Term
We’re looking for someone with oodles of experience in arts management, funding and administration to join our team and make…
Arts Administration
Robyn Kahukiwa (1938-2025)
It is with sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Robyn Kahukiwa (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare, 1938 –…
Opportunities & Proposals
Sculptor in Residence -Lincoln University
Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University is now calling for proposals for its inaugural Sculptor in Residence.
Sculpture, Visual Arts
Juanita Hepi – An Artist of Many Talents
Artist and storyteller, Juanita Hepi, is a cornerstone of the local arts sector and a champion for Ngā Toi Māori.…
Workshops
Craft Weekend at Objectspace
It’s a weekend of crafting heaven at Objectspace in Christchurch… Don’t miss out!
Craft & Object
Calendar of Events
09.12 – 27.04 2024

Wharenui Harikoa at CoCA

11:00 AM
Made from 5000 balls of brightly-coloured yarn and crotcheted by hand, this full size wharenui has been wowing audiences across…
Canterbury Museum at CoCA
25.03 – 27.04 2025

Recloaking – Marie Porter

10:00 AM
In Recloaking, ZAWAA 2024 Premier Award winner Marie Porter brings a sculptural consideration to the considerable undertaking of harvesting pine trees ultimately…
Ashburton Art Gallery
28.03 – 09.05 2025

Hold Me – at Fibre Gallery

6:00 PM
‘Hold Me’ showcases musician Vallé’s new material while also commenting on how much the way we consume music has changed since…
Fibre Gallery
06.04 – 01.05 2025

Ara Art and Design at Chamber Gallery

10:00 AM
This is a celebration of Ara Art+Design students’ journey through their chosen mediums; exploring a common thread  driven by both personal…
Chamber Gallery, Rangiora
16.05 2025

The Friends of Christchurch Art Gallery Auction Event

6:00 PM – 8:00 pm
Get your friends together and raise your paddles to a good cause in support of the arts!
Christchurch Art Gallery

SPOTLIGHT ON : ŌTAUTAHI IN THE NEWS

SPOTLIGHT ON : ŌTAUTAHI IN THE NEWS

Musician Byllie-jean on winning a Taite Music Award: ‘This is an incredible one for me as a Māori woman and a kuia’

Winning Best Independent Debut at the Taite Music Awards in Auckland last week for Filter, which features poet Isla Huia and musician/actor Marlon Williams, is “an incredible tohu [signal] particularly at this time in the political environment”, Byllie-jean says.

“An exercise in bravery” is how the songwriter describes turning her (now award-winning) debut EP Filter over to the world.

After years of hustling to raise her family, the grandmother-of-three is happy to no longer feel like making music is a “luxury”.

“I feel like the creative thing has been a struggle and a wrestle, and it’s been hard-won. I guess I have enough years under my belt now.”

Read the full story at RNZ here.

Opportunities
Opportunities & Proposals

Stoddart Cottage Call for Artists

Stoddart Cottage Gallery is currently calling for proposals from individual artists, groups, or those interested in taking part in group shows for its 2026 exhibition.
Visual Arts
Opportunities & Proposals
Ngaio Marsh House – Volunteer Tour Guides Wanted
The Ngaio Marsh House and Heritage Trust is currently seeking volunteer Tour Guides to join its dedicated team.
Opportunities & Proposals
Community Arts Advisor Kāhapai Toi – Fixed Term
We’re looking for someone with oodles of experience in arts management, funding and administration to join our team and make…
Arts Administration
Opportunities & Proposals
Applications for the Global ‘Ocean Song Project’ Open
Applications are invited to be part of The Ocean Song Project — a youth-led, international initiative to raise awareness for ocean…
Opportunities & Proposals
Sculptor in Residence -Lincoln University
Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University is now calling for proposals for its inaugural Sculptor in Residence.
Sculpture, Visual Arts
Opportunities & Proposals
Open Call for Artists – ‘Strange Materials 2025’
Eastside Gallery is pleased to invite local artists to contribute to the 5th of its 7 open call exhibitions for…
Visual Arts
Opportunities & Proposals
Performer Call Out for Manifesta!
Tiny Fest, Movement Art Practice and this year’s choreographer Janaína Moraes invite you to be part of MANIFESTA.
Dance, Performance

SPOTLIGHT ON: Go Live 2025

SPOTLIGHT ON: Go Live 2025

Bringing some big names back into the spotlight, Go Live turns five this winter, cementing its presence on the Ōtautahi music festival calendar.

The 2025 show, produced by Christchurch City Council, features “an incredible line-up of both homegrown and national talent,” says Manager of Events and Art Lucy Blackmore.

“Taking the stage for the first time in more than a decade is legendary electronic act Minuit. The Nelson trio performed many a gig in Ōtautahi in the early 2000s before rising to fame with a string of hit albums and EPs, performed all over Aotearoa and internationally.

“Fans will also witness a special reunion of the 90s punk-pop rock band Slim, delivering a dose of nostalgia and high-energy anthems, along with recently reformed national rock legends Tadpole, featuring local artist Lauren Marshall on vocals,” Ms Blackmore says.

“Adding to the excitement, sonic powerhouse Cairo Knife Fight are jetting in directly from the USA to rock the crowd,” Ms Blackmore says. “It’ll be the duo’s first hometown show in over nine years, having each forged impressive music careers in the States alongside their work as a band.”

Go Live Festival 2025 will also feature exceptional local artists, including ‘folkish’ duo Terrible Sons, country collaboration Steffany Beck and Miranda Easten, and pop-rockers Castaway, plus The Rainfall, One Waka, Ellie Oak, Ryan Fisherman, and the 2025 winners of Dig the Gig.

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SPOTLIGHT ON: New Exhibitions

SPOTLIGHT ON: New Exhibitions

Disruptive Landscapes: Contemporary Art from Japan is now open at The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.

Featuring contemporary artists from across Japan, this exhibition includes subtle and immersive video works focused on the politics that shape our view of landscape. From biodiversity and environmental concerns to sexuality, identity and loneliness, these quietly powerful works share diverse perspectives on life and the natural world, inviting us to think about our own ideas and experience – the exhibition has been curated by Melanie Oliver.

JINUSHI Maiko, KOIZUMI Meiro, MIYAGI Futoshi, MOMOSE Aya, SHIGA Lieko, WATANABE Atsushi (I’m Here Project), WATANABE Shiori, MAYUNKIKI

 

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