Kia Mau Festival Announces New Commissions And International Acts For 2025 Programme

The biennial Kia Mau Festival is thrilled to announce the next wave of inspiring, innovative and uniquely Indigenous performances in its 2025 programme. Taking place in Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui from 30 May – 14 June, the festival is a showcase of contemporary Tāngata Whenua, Tāngata Moana and Indigenous arts.

For the first time, the festival presents commissioned works from their new initiative He Toi Puaki, supporting artists in bringing their visions to the stage. The inaugural recipients of He Toi Puaki presenting their work at this year’s festival are Emma Katene and Īhaka Martyn, with a third work still to be announced. These join two acclaimed international productions and a new work by Chinese-Kiwi arts luminary Nathan Joe. 

“He Toi Puaki 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.” says Kia Mau’s Artistic Director, Hone Kouka.

Powerhouse playwright and actor Īhaka Martyn (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa; Scotland, England, Wales), who previously presented his show Slowing the Sun at the 2023 festival, showcases his new production The Aotearoans. Five diverse New Zealanders are brought together to answer a simple binary question for the good of the country: New Zealand or Aotearoa?

Following her Kia Mau debut in 2023 with the award nominated show 3 Steps Back, Emma Katene (Ngāti Kahungunu) premieres the whānau friendly adventure Heart of Stone, where two teens uncover long-buried secrets lurking beneath their school campsite.

Direct from the UK, CHamoru/Filipina theatre marker Sierra Sevilla (originally from the island of Guam) serves up a hilarious multi-sensory, participatory one-woman show, For the Love of Spam, dedicated to two things: canned meat and colonialism.

Returning to the festival from Vancouver, Raven Spirit Dance bring contemporary dance that is rooted in Indigenous worldviews, for a captivating evening of performance. Braiding the Land, a collection of three works (Spine of the Mother, Frost Exploding Trees Moon and Confluence), traces the connections between vast ancestral landscapes with our bodies.

Finally, making its way from Tāmaki Makaurau to Pōneke for the first time, A Short History of Asian New Zealand Theatre by Punctum Productions and creator Nathan Joe, sees an Asian performer tasked with the mission of delivering a presentation on Asian New Zealand theatre history, all while riding a stationary bicycle. This is performance essay meets spin class.

These works join the already announced ‘Avaiki Nui Social Returns and Atamira Dance Company’s Ka Mua Ka Muri. The full performance programme for the 2025 Kia Mau Festival will be launched on 31 March, with the visual arts programme to come in April.

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