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Kia Mau Festival, is taking a much needed step forward with its innovative new initiative, He Toi Puaki. This commissioning program marks a significant evolution in our commitment to nurturing indigenous voices and fostering homegrown talent amongst our arts whānau here in Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui.
He Toi Puaki embodies the essence of its name by serving as a platform for emerging artists to blossom from seeds of creativity into fully realised productions. This commissioning opportunity, is set to redefine the landscape of indigenous performance art in Aotearoa.
At its core, He Toi Puaki seeks to provide selected artists with the essential resources and support needed to cultivate their artistic visions into compelling stage productions. Through initial commissioning, linking up the right people, and vital funding assistance, the program aims to empower artists to transform their raw concepts into stage ready new New Zealand works.
Among the inaugural recipients of the He Toi Puaki commission are Emma Katene, Īhaka Martyn, and the dynamic partnership known as CONJAH, forged between Jahra Wasasala and Ooshcon. Each artist brings a unique perspective and creative flair to the table, promising a diverse array of artistic expressions that will captivate audiences and enrich the cultural tapestry of Aotearoa.
Meet Emma Katene
A powerhouse of talent hailing from Ngati Kahungunu and making waves in Pōneke’s vibrant arts scene. As an actor, director, and sound designer, she’s recently dazzled audiences with her performances in Mannbannd and CringeWorthy: Swinging in the ’60s. Emma’s Kia Mau debut in 2023 with 3 Steps Back, a show that had already earned her critical acclaim, showcasing her multifaceted skills as a writer and sound designer.
He Toi Puaki is such a great opportunity for me as a new writer who doesn’t get to focus on written storytelling very much. As an actor, director, or designer I’m working to express the text through the body and it’s a pleasure and a challenge to do the foundation work. I’m excited to learn and practice the art of painting with words and how I can intertwine my knowledge as an artist into the play I write. It’s an opportunity to remind myself that I do have these skills, however deep inside they are! I’ve been on that self discovery journey for a bit and while I feel like I’ve been able to work on my confidence as an artist and teller of stories in body and music, this is a chance for me to feel more confident as a storyteller of my own work
Meet Īhaka Martyn
Īhaka Huia James Martyn (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa; Scotland, England, Wales) – a powerhouse playwright, actor, and Script Coordinator at He Rōpū Tautoko Tito Whakaari o Aotearoa, Playmarket. Currently based in Pōneke after growing up in Tāmaki-makau-rau, Īhaka’s artistic journey has taken him from the stages of Otago University to the prestigious IIML at Te Herenga Waka, where he earned his Masters in Scriptwriting. Īhaka’s captivating development season of his play Slowing the Sun debuted at the 2023 Kia Mau Festival.
The whānau at Kia Mau Festival offered He Toi Puaki to me at the perfect time. I was very confused about the identity of this country, and whether I really identify with the idea of nation states in general. Do I feel like a New Zealander? Do I want to be defined by this moniker? What would changing the name do? And who gets to choose?
I am hoping to make people really interrogate what “New Zealand” or “Aotearoa” means to them.
If an audience member enters my show sure about their position on the name of the country, whether that is New Zealand, Aotearoa, or something else, I want to test their reasoning and pose questions.
Most of all I hope to get out what is inside, namely a great sense of hōhā about this post-colonial nightmare, and its massive identity crisis.
Meet Jahra Wasasala
An award-winning Fijian / Pākehā artist, raised on and informed by the whenua of Tamaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. Within Viti (Fiji), Jahra hails from the provinces of Macuata and Ba. A world-builder, dancer, and writer, rooted in the whenua of Tamaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. Jahra’s practice blends embodied and disembodied phenomena, crafting visions of liberation and creature-led language.
From Aotearoa to New York, Jahra’s performances have captivated audiences worldwide, exploring sound, adornment, poetry, and more. Partnered with Ooshcon in ‘CONJAH’, they create immersive experiences, facilitate workshops, and produce dance festivals.
Jahra’s growing body of work builds into visions of liberation and calls in memories of creature-led language located in-between one world ending and another world beginning. Drawing from multiple dance teachings and cultures, Jahra embraces these forms with emotional rigour and innovative theatrical practices that contribute to the canon of Tagata Moana future-mythos.
Meet Ooshcon
An award-winning Samoan / Pākehā artist, Ooshcon hails from the villages of Lalomanu and Veilele in Samoa and was raised in and is informed by the whenua of Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta, Aotearoa. A dancer, facilitator, and theatre-maker, known for his expertise in ‘free-body’ dance methodologies. Hailing from the villages of Lalomanu and Veilele in Samoa, Ooshcon’s practice is deeply rooted in the whenua of Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta, Aotearoa.
Guided by the belief ‘ina ia sosolo le alofa / so love may flow’, Ooshcon creates works, collaborations, and spaces infused with alofa. As a Street Dance Battler and Theatre maker, he’s toured across Aotearoa, Australia, Tahiti, Fiji, and beyond, drawing from diverse dance teachings and cultures.
A recognised Street Dance Battler, Street Dance Theatre maker and performer, Ooshcon has toured in dance works across Aotearoa, so-called Australia, Tahiti, Fiji, Mexico, Las Vegas, San Diego, China and Taiwan. Drawing from multiple dance teachings and cultures, Ooshcon embraces these forms with emotional rigour and innovative theatrical practices that contribute to the canon of Tagata Moana future-mythos.