2024 was another brilliant year for arts in Ōtautahi. We here at Toi Ōtautahi would like to thank each and every one of you for participating, making, creating and entertaining us. Our local arts sector is a unique and brilliant one and we look forward to working with you in 2025.
Meantime here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of highlights from our Arts team.
Kiri Jarden, Principal Arts Advisor:
Auē, e hika mā! What a year it has been!
The team has been busy with community-based residencies including celebrated Christchurch poet Tusiata Avia, taoka puoro expert Mahina-Ina Kingi Kaui, and the multi-talented Mokopuna Māori Arts. We had some beautiful work created for our lightboxes with work from artists Tamara Sikuri, Dr John Vea, Lee Richardson, Hōhua Kurene and River Jayden.
Toi Auaha was humming with workshops, masterclasses, hui and celebrations including the release party for Conversations on the Edges of Rooms, a compilation album from 12 Christchurch Pacific artists sharing original songs. We welcomed around 120,000 people to Tīrama Mai, our celebration of Puaka-Matariki, had awesome attendance and performances at Sparks with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Summer Theatre, and Summer Sunday’s concert.
The city has been humming with a suite of fantastic events. My highlights included Port Noise, Word, Little Street Art Festival, and SCAPE, which is on now. And two highlights for me at Te Puna o Waiwhetū Christchurch Art Gallery are current exhibitions Doppelgangers and Dummies, and He Kapuka Oneone-A Handful of Soil.
In 2025 we can look forward to the opening of the new Court Theatre building in the heart of the city, cementing the city as a performing arts leader. Later in the year we’ll be preparing ourselves for the opening of Parakiore and so to some outstanding dance, movement and circus arts spaces.
My sincere thanks to all those in the arts and creative sector who work with conviction and heart to make Ōtautahi Christchurch a fantastic place to be creative and to experience the arts.
Kā mihi o te wā, wishing you all the very best for the season.
Olivia Webb, Arts Advisor:
This year, my calendar has been chocka with arts and cultural events, performances, openings and celebrations. Too many to choose one single highlight, so here are my top 5, and 1 lowlight, just to keep it real. It’s been such a privilege to attend everything I possibly could this year. A huge thank you to all the artists who have made my life so much better by sharing your work with us all.
5 Highlights:
Most enlightening: Listening to the ‘Sustainable and Conscious Practice’ panel discussion by Di Lucas, Stephen Park, Naomi van der Broek, and Ciaran Fox. The depth of sharing here was awesome and I hope for more.
Most inspiring: Sitting in on Ngā Pounamu; an intensive reo Māori songwriting wānaka at Orange Studios where 14 musicians/songwriters composed and recorded 8 original waiata in 4 days. So much talent in one room!
Most exhilarating: Show Me Shorts Opening Night was a brilliant, emotional rollercoaster, smorgasbord of and evening. I have not laugh-cried so much in years.
Most uplifting: All the new initiatives that young(er) artists are starting in the city – I’m thinking of Te Wā, Brown Town, The Green Room, and The Ōtautahi Vocal Ensemble in particular. Tautoko!
Most enriching: Witnessing the growth and development of the 63 artists involved in Toi Ōtautahi Creative Mentoring programme this year. This has manifest in some awesome work, from Khalil Qualls two person take of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, to Phoebe Vic’s new single ‘wasnt that deep’, the list goes on and on… super cool.
1 Lowlight:
Getting COVID from doing Jury Service.
Here’s to 2025! Ngā mhi o te tau hou!
Jamie Hanton, Arts Advisor:
As it has for the last three decades, the year began with Anthony Harper Summer Theatre, one of Christchurch City Council’s signature summer events. The Odyssey written and directed by Dan Bain was an incredible success, picking up a slew of awards and nominations, including the Adam New Zealand Play Award.
February saw our Community Arts Hub, Toi Auaha burst back into life with our tenants and community BBQ; an opportunity for artists and creatives to come together for some sun, smiles, and salad.
In March, I was lucky enough to attend Aotearoa’s inaugural Social Circus Conference, hosted by Circability in Tāmaki Makaurau. Through the pioneering Christchurch Circoarts School that operated from CPIT, Ōtautahi has an undisputed place in this country’s Circus history and it was wonderful to see so many from that cohort present.
We began work scoping and reviewing the Council’s Artwork in Public Places Policy (2002) in April to better align it with our overarching arts and creativity strategy, Toi Ōtautahi.
In May, I had the pleasure of judging the Te Whatu Ora’s Smokefree art competition at Hillmorton Hospital. In June, advisors from across Council gathered to collaborate on the applications to the Strengthening Communities Fund – always a challenging day, balancing community requests with a very finite resource.
The excitement was high in July at the New Zealand Events Association networking hui as detailed plans about the specs and capabilities of One NZ Stadium were released. In August we began discussions with a group of emerging artists who will be launching a new artist-run space in one of the unused buildings at Toi Auaha.
September brought further funding action, with the first round of the 24/25 Creative Communities Scheme opening, the round closed with a bumper 104 applications, reflecting the incredible range of activity in the city.
In October, the large-scale streetscape upgrade of Stanmore Road was completed, and with it, Tatyanna Meharry’s integrated artwork, which consisted of hundreds of handmade pavers at each of the entry points to the village.
November saw the long-awaited release of a draft national strategy for the arts, Amplify – as we’ve seen locally, a great arts strategy can be a powerful tool for change and advocacy, across government and other sectors. We eagerly await the results of the consultation!
Thanks to all the artists and creatives who have worked so hard this year – we look forward to working with you all again in 2025.