Koanga Festival
1st to 19th September 2015
Te Pou Theatre

Kōanga, Spring time in te reo Māori, is heralded by the blossoming of the kōwhai and the call of the pīpīwharauroa (shining cuckoo) as it returns to our shores. This is traditionally a time of joining together and combining efforts to plant for the next harvest. Te Pou launched Auckland’s first Kōanga Festival since Don Selwyn’s Te Kōanga: Spring Festival of Māori Arts in 1990.  Twenty five years ago this festival was established to provide a platform for the presentation of Māori arts by Māori for Māori and despite the intervening time and great growth in Māori theatre, the need for more platforms for Māori art, outside of the popular Matariki Season, is still present. Their first Kōanga Festival was presented in a tuakana/teina relationship with The Going West Festival and delivered two theatre seasons, play readings, a writers workshop supported by Creative New Zealand and a highly successful Whānau Day supported by the Whau Local Board focusing on storytelling from around the world.

1 September 2015
Invited morning tea for koroua and kuia

September 3-6
Theatre Season – SISTER ANZAC by Geoff Allen

September 7-11
TE POU TUHI: writers workshop

WHAKARONGO MAI
Te Puhi by Cian Elyse White – Wednesday September 9th
Morningstar by Albert Belz – Thursday September 10th
Into the Fire by Jatinder Singh – Friday September 11th

September 12
Whānau Day

September 17-19
Theatre Season – THE GREAT AMERICAN SCREAM by Albert Belz

Realised by Te Pou in collaboration with the Going West Festival with support from Creative NZ, TTCF and the Whau Local Board.