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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.

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
News | 24 May 2026

Christchurch Painter Kate McLeod Named Top 10 Finalist at NZ Art Show 2026

Local contemporary abstract artist Kate McLeod has been selected as a finalist in the People’s Choice Art Award at the NZ Art Show 2026
Visual Arts
Workshops | 17 May 2026
Toi Ōtautahi Wednesday Workshop – Creative Copyright, IP & AI 
Who Owns Your Art? Creative Copyright, IP & AI with Karen Workman from the New Zealand Copyright Commission – Free…
Everything You Need to Know About What the Toi Ōtautahi Strategy Achieved in the Last Few Years!
Want to know what was achieved from the Toi Ōtautahi strategy 2019 – 2924? Take a look here! 
Ōtautahi State of the Arts Survey
The Christchurch City Council Toi Ōtautahi Community Arts Team is gathering information from local artists, arts organisations and businesses to…
News | 20 May 2026
Reuben Woods, “Christchurch is Having a Moment,” – on RNZ
Watch This Space’s Reuben Woods spoke to RNZ about why Christchurch is ‘having a moment’ and why its the only…
Exhibition | 19 May 2026
Unreal Canterbury at Eastside Gallery
Unreal Canterbury brings together 11 artists whose works tilt the familiar, unsettle the expected, and reimagine the region.
Visual Arts
New Zealand Music Month
News | 19 May 2026

Loopy Tunes on a Grammy Nominated Album!

Ōtautahi children’s music duo Loopy Tunes feature on an album which was nominated for Best Children’s Music Album at this year’s Grammys: Flor Bromley’s ‘Herstory’.
Music, Tamariki & Rangatahi
News | 7 May 2026
NZ Music Month – Delaney Davidson
For NZ Music Month, our partner – Audioculture – has a new profile of Delaney Davidson, written by Nick Bollinger……
Music
News | 3 May 2026
NZ Music Month – Our Sounds, Our Spaces
The New Zealand Music Commission is gearing up to celebrate the 26th NZ Music Month this Month…
Music
Gigs | 20 April 2026
Feather Shaw on Echo Chamber at the Darkroom
A group of local musicians are busy learning songs by other local artists ahead of the sixth annual Christchurch Echo Chamber,…
Music
Festival, Gigs | 24 March 2026
Go Live Festival 2026
Now firmly established as a cornerstone event on the Christchurch cultural calendar, Go Live Festival brings generations of fans together…
Music
Interview, News | 14 May 2026
Plains Media Presents its NZ Music Month Artist Spotlight
As part of Plains Media’s NZ Music Month Artist Spotlight series, they’re highlighting the venues and creative spaces that help…
Broadcasting, Music
Calendar of Events
02.05 – 28.06 2026

Home Studio at Objectspace

10:00 AM
Home Studio explores the blurred boundaries between domestic and working spaces, bringing together artists who produce work from, within, or for…
Sir Miles Warren Gallery
30.05 2026

2026 Christchurch Echo Chamber

7:00 PM – 11:00 pm
Darkroom presents the 6th annual Ōtautahi Christchurch Echo Chamber on Sat May 30th, featuring a line up of local Chch…
Darkroom, St Asaph Street
07.06 – 09.07 2026

Art in Fashion – Rosalie Todd

10:00 AM
Art in Fashion is a celebration of the iconic and distinctive couture by local fashionista and legend Rosalie Todd. 
Chamber Gallery, Rangiora
22.06 2026

National Flash Fiction Day

5:30 PM – 7:30 pm
Ōtautahi National Flash Fiction Day is the local celebration of NZ National Flash Fiction Day – short fiction on the…
Tautoru TSB Space, Level One, Tūranga
23.06 – 25.06 2026

Wonder – Hagley Theatre School

7:30 PM
Funny, surreal and deeply moving, Wonder blurs the line between the magical and the real where everyday objects come alive,…
Iasaac Theatre Royal

SPOTLIGHT ON: Ōtautahi in the News

SPOTLIGHT ON: Ōtautahi in the News

The movie theatres of Christchurch, ranked and reviewed by Alex Casey of The Spinoff.

“From the cavernous multiplexes to the charming boutique offerings, Christchurch is a cinema-lover’s paradise. But which reigns supreme?

Not to gallop in on my high horse to ‘Conquest of Paradise’ like everyone else in this smug city, but Christchurch might just be the cinema capital of the country right now (stop screaming Wellington and let me explain). First of all, with 10 resplendent cinemas servicing a population of 410,000, Christchurch City boasts a rate of 41,000 people per cinema (PPC) – stronger than Auckland (52,000 PPC) and even Wellington (42,000 PPC). ”

Click here to read Alex’s (always) funny review of the Top Ten Cinemas in town!

Opportunities
Opportunities & Proposals | 11 May 2026

Applications Now Open for the 2026 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship

Applications for one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prestigious and long-running Fellowships are now open – closing 12 June 2026.
Literature
Opportunities & Proposals | 14 April 2026
Otago University Arts Fellowships Open – Extended to 15 June
Otago University is pleased to invite a range of talented artists to apply for several prestigious Fellowships.
Funding | 15 May 2026
2026 CLNZ | NZSA Secondary School Leavers Scholarship Open Now
Applications for the CLNZ | NZSA Secondary School Leavers Scholarship are now open.
Casting Call for Fourth Year Honours Degree Student Film
Casting Call for Fourth Year Honours Student Film – Check out the roles available
Opportunities & Proposals | 20 April 2026
2026 Gasworks Residency for an Artist from Aotearoa New Zealand – Call for Applications
Applications are now open for an early-career artist based in Aotearoa New Zealand to undertake an eleven-week, fully funded residency…
Opportunities & Proposals | 6 April 2026
Expressions of Interest for Pasifika Production Internship Pilot
The Court Theatre and Creative NZ are calling for expressions of interest for the Pasifika Production Internship Pilot, running from…
Pasifika
Opportunities & Proposals | 31 March 2026
The Finding Persephone Poetry Competition
The Finding Persephone Poetry Competition is looking for poetry that explores what femininity means to you.  All gender identities are…
Poetry
Education and Courses
Courses and Classes | 24 May 2026

Mythical Ceramic Plate Painting

Come and learn how to paint on ceramic plates inspired by mythical creatures at Blooms and Brushes art studio in Rangiora.
Workshops | 17 May 2026
Toi Ōtautahi Wednesday Workshop – Creative Copyright, IP & AI 
Who Owns Your Art? Creative Copyright, IP & AI with Karen Workman from the New Zealand Copyright Commission – Free…
Education & Courses | 14 May 2026
Writing for Children and Teens Workshop
Risingholme’s upcoming two-day introductory course is for anyone who wants to write books and stories for young readers.
Literature
Courses and Classes | 8 April 2026
Genius Textural Canvas Art
Immerse yourself in this 2-session course on textural painting at Blooms & Brushes art studio in Rangiora.
Visual Arts
Courses and Classes | 5 March 2026
Circability Circus Classes
Join a weekly circus class and discover the delight in the joy and connection circus brings to people’s lives!

The Big Idea’s Toi Ōtautahi Dispatch – May

The Big Idea’s Toi Ōtautahi Dispatch – May

Toi Ōtautahi Dispatch is a new monthly column and partnership with The Big Idea. Each month we will bring you a roundup of what’s happening in the arts across Christchurch.  What’s going on, what’s been going on, and what’s coming up in our awesome city this month!

Click here to read the May edition!

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