PO BOX 11223
Manners St, Wellington, New Zealand 6142
office@kiamaufestival.org
AIGA
Presented by Touch Compass
As part of Kia Mau Festival’s He Ngaru Nui programme, AIGA represents the big dreams and heart-felt reflections of disabled, award-winning, performing artist, Lusi Faiva (Patamea, Savai’i, Sāmoa) – performed by an ensemble of women, non-binary, disabled, non-disabled, Pasifika and Māori creatives.
Exploring identity, family, and desire, AIGA is a show that ebbs, flows, dips forward into the wicked and tilts back toward the heavenly as we traverse through the experience of Lusi’s beautiful and complex life story. Using music, movement and dramedy, AIGA captures Lusi’s life from youth into adulthood, from 1960s Samoa to the warrior that we bear witness to today.
AIGA is a three-year crip time and c r i p s p a c e devised work that has not only drawn on the life history of Lusi, but also the experiences of co-collaborators and performers including Iana Grace Pauga, Forest V Kapo (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Raukawa), Alex Medland (Kāi Tahu), Jake Arona and Fiona Collins.
This collective creative ensemble gives this work its proud identity. With a powerhouse creative team, this work features a story that will make you laugh, cry, think and feel – one that needs to be heard.
A Premiere Season in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, AIGA is presented by Touch Compass — Aotearoa New Zealand’s disability-led professional arts organisation Touch Compass delivers high-quality performances, inclusive education, and arts activations.
Content Warnings include PG Rated, strong language, sexual references, sexual assault themes, flashing images & lights and loud music.
He Ngaru Nui is more than just a collection of performances—it is a bold statement about the value and significance of Indigenous narratives. These shows take stories that sometimes feel small, intimate, or unheard, and amplify them on the grand stages they deserve. This programming strand honours the storytelling traditions of Māori, Pasifika and global indigenous cultures, while pushing the boundaries of contemporary performance. It’s about taking stories from our communities and sharing them with the world in a way that is both respectful and revolutionary.
This isn’t sad disability porn, it’s a strong, passionate, intentional work that challenges the narrative of how people with disabilities are viewed.
Dates
05-07 June 2025
6.30pm
Venue
Te Whaea
11 Hutchison Road
Newtown
Wellington
tewhaea.org.nz
Tickets
Early Bird Adult Ticket: $25 (Available until 24 April 2025)
Adult Ticket: $35
Concession Ticket (Kaumātua, Senior Citizens, Community Services Cardholders and Unwaged): $30
Group 6+: $25
Student (including tertiary, te whare wānanga, polytech, kura kaupapa and secondary school students): $20
Student Standby: $15
Creative Credits
Creator & Lead Performer Lusi Faiva (she / her)
Director Moana Ete (she / her)
Producer Jordan Walker (they / them)
Spatial & AV Design Rowan Pierce (he / him)
LX Design Isadora Lao (they / them)
Costume Design Lindah Lepou (she / her)
Makeup & Hair Jonjon Tolovae (she / her)
Dramaturg Fiona Collins (she / her)
Sound Design Andrew McMillan (he / him)
Co-Sound Design Forest V Kapo (they / them)
Cast:
- Lusi Faiva (she/her)
- Forest V Kapo (they/them)
- Fiona Collins (she/her)
- Tupe Lualua (she/her)
Learn More About Touch Compass
Touch Compass is Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading professional arts organisation whose work is disability-led. We deliver high-quality performances, inclusive education, and arts activations.
To support a stronger resilient arts sector and disability-conscious society we offer youth (tamariki / rangatahi) and adults (pakeke) community classes, school programmes and workshops, and pathways to professional development for disabled artists and arts practitioners, their allies, communities, and non-disabled people engaging in the performing arts through accessible creative expression.
Founded in 1997 by Catherine Chappell MNZM we continue the mission to serve and support access to the arts for disabled people and an opportunity for non-disabled people to grow their own awareness of lived experience.
Learn More About Kia Mau Festival
Tihei mauri ora!
Ka mihi ki ngā uri o te whenua o Te Upoko o te ika a Māui.
E ngā haukāinga o te rohe nei, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Taranaki Whānui,
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa!
Kia Mau Festival is at the forefront of contemporary Tāngata Whenua, Tāngata Moana, and Indigenous theatre and dance in Aotearoa and beyond. We are innovators—pushing boundaries, redefining forms, and forging new paths with creative risk-taking at every step. Right here, right now, we bring together local, national, and international artists in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. We find the intersection where our stories intertwine, creating an experience that is uniquely ‘local’ yet unparalleled in Pōneke throughout the year.
Kia Mau offers a truly unique experience, led by Tāngata Whenua, Tāngata Moana, and Indigenous voices at every level—from our leadership to our artists and audiences. Unlike any other festival, we are not just a platform for presentations; we are a hub for kōrero and whanaungatanga.
Our festival serves as a whare where Tāngata Whenua, Tāngata Moana, and Indigenous artists and their communities are supported throughout the creation, development, and staging of their works. By providing a nurturing environment, we empower individual artists, strengthen their capabilities, and enrich the arts sector, celebrating the diversity and talent of Tāngata Whenua, Tāngata Moana, and Indigenous artists.
With our deep understanding of the arts sector and strong relationships with artists from emerging talents to established figures, we identify those at pivotal moments in their careers or with significant projects. By including them in the Kia Mau Festival programme, we support them in taking strategic steps forward. This approach has allowed Kia Mau Festival to make a substantial impact on numerous artists and, consequently, shape the contemporary arts landscape.
Returning to Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui, Aotearoa New Zealand from 30 May – 14 June 2025. Nau mai, haramai! Nau mai, hoki mai ki te hui ahurei o Kia Mau!
