Te Tīmatanga 2022
Client
Auckland Pride
Year
2021 - 2022
Summary
Establishing Aotearoa’s first dedicated Takatāpui arts platform — grounding contemporary practice in whakapapa, remembrance, and collective care, while transforming Auckland Pride’s artistic and organisational direction.
As Kaiwhakahaere Takatāpui (2021 - 2023) of Auckland Pride, I conceived and led the development of Te Tīmatanga — shaping its kaupapa, structure, partnerships, and delivery.
This included:
Defining the purpose and cultural framework of the programme
Securing partnerships and funding to expand its scale
Bringing together artists, community, and knowledge holders
Overseeing programme design, content, and delivery
As Kaiwhakahaere Takatāpui (2021 - 2023) of Auckland Pride, I conceived and led the development of Te Tīmatanga — shaping its kaupapa, structure, partnerships, and delivery.
This included:
Defining the purpose and cultural framework of the programme
Securing partnerships and funding to expand its scale
Bringing together artists, community, and knowledge holders
Overseeing programme design, content, and delivery
Prior to Te Tīmatanga, Auckland Pride did not produce a dedicated artistic programme for Takatāpui.
There was no consistent platform centred in Takatāpui identity, no space that held both contemporary practice and whakapapa, and no structure that supported artists to develop work within their own cultural frameworks.
The need was clear — not just to present work, but to create a space grounded in remembrance, connection, and responsibility to those who came before.
Te Tīmatanga was developed as a platform that holds multiple layers at once — artistic, cultural, and intergenerational.
The programme brought together:
Whakapapa and Remembrance
Working alongside Elizabeth Kerekere and The Burnett Foundation Aotearoa, we centred the AIDS Memorial Quilts within the programme — grounding the work in lived history, loss, and collective memory.Artist Development and Presentation
Supporting Takatāpui artists to develop and share work within a context that reflects their identities, communities, and ways of working.Storytelling Across Forms
Extending the programme through podcast and video content, produced by Vic Walsh, alongside artist engagement led by Elyssia Wilson-Heti — ensuring the work could be experienced across generations and platforms.Programme Expansion
Evolving from a one-day activation into a month-long micro-festival — increasing both visibility and depth of engagement.
The focus was not actually about the scale, although it did grow rapidly, our focus was to build something that could hold people properly and begin healing and building abundant futures for Takatāpui, Whakawāhine, Ira Whiti Tane, and Ira Rere uri.
Prior to Te Tīmatanga, Auckland Pride did not produce a dedicated artistic programme for Takatāpui.
There was no consistent platform centred in Takatāpui identity, no space that held both contemporary practice and whakapapa, and no structure that supported artists to develop work within their own cultural frameworks.
The need was clear — not just to present work, but to create a space grounded in remembrance, connection, and responsibility to those who came before.
Te Tīmatanga was developed as a platform that holds multiple layers at once — artistic, cultural, and intergenerational.
The programme brought together:
Whakapapa and Remembrance
Working alongside Elizabeth Kerekere and The Burnett Foundation Aotearoa, we centred the AIDS Memorial Quilts within the programme — grounding the work in lived history, loss, and collective memory.Artist Development and Presentation
Supporting Takatāpui artists to develop and share work within a context that reflects their identities, communities, and ways of working.Storytelling Across Forms
Extending the programme through podcast and video content, produced by Vic Walsh, alongside artist engagement led by Elyssia Wilson-Heti — ensuring the work could be experienced across generations and platforms.Programme Expansion
Evolving from a one-day activation into a month-long micro-festival — increasing both visibility and depth of engagement.
The focus was not actually about the scale, although it did grow rapidly, our focus was to build something that could hold people properly and begin healing and building abundant futures for Takatāpui, Whakawāhine, Ira Whiti Tane, and Ira Rere uri.
The programme transformed both the organisation and the artists involved:
Expanded from a $20,000 activation into a $137,000 programme
Established the first dedicated Takatāpui arts platform of its kind in Aotearoa
Increased visibility and understanding of Takatāpui practice within the wider arts sector
Supported artists to develop work grounded in their identities and cultural frameworks
For participating artists, the impact extended beyond the programme:
Strengthened confidence in their practice and identity
Development of new work and methodologies
Opportunities to present, speak, and lead within national and international contexts
Through Te Tīmatanga we repositioned Auckland Pride’s role — from calendarising events to holding space for Takatāpui knowledge, practice, and community.
It established a foundation for future programmes, including Pride Elevates, Pride Connects Pride Develops, and demonstrated the importance of:
grounding contemporary work in whakapapa
creating intergenerational connection
building platforms that prioritise care alongside presentation
The programme continues to contribute to a growing canon of Takatāpui research, storytelling, and artistic practice — shaped by each artist who comes through it.
Te Tīmatanga is not a single event or season — it is an ongoing commitment to holding space for Takatāpui artists to explore, create, and define their own futures.
Artworks listed in order of image top to bottom, left to right.
Image 1: N/A
Image 2:
Work 1 (Left): Pēpi Hā, Matariki, Mahina, Tihema Bennett. 2022.
Work 2 (Centre): Āhuru Mōwai, Atarangi Anderson. 2022.
Work 3 (Right): Funny Games, Abigail Aroha Jensen, 2022.
Image 3: Funny Games, Abigail Aroha Jensen, 2022.
Image 4: Pēpi Hā, Matariki, Mahina, Tihema Bennett. 2022.
Image 5:
Work 1: Ko Te Pito, Grayson Goffe, 2022.
Work 2: Whakarei, Piki Toi Artist Collective, Whakamana, Hāpori mā, 2022.
The programme transformed both the organisation and the artists involved:
Expanded from a $20,000 activation into a $137,000 programme
Established the first dedicated Takatāpui arts platform of its kind in Aotearoa
Increased visibility and understanding of Takatāpui practice within the wider arts sector
Supported artists to develop work grounded in their identities and cultural frameworks
For participating artists, the impact extended beyond the programme:
Strengthened confidence in their practice and identity
Development of new work and methodologies
Opportunities to present, speak, and lead within national and international contexts
Through Te Tīmatanga we repositioned Auckland Pride’s role — from calendarising events to holding space for Takatāpui knowledge, practice, and community.
It established a foundation for future programmes, including Pride Elevates, Pride Connects Pride Develops, and demonstrated the importance of:
grounding contemporary work in whakapapa
creating intergenerational connection
building platforms that prioritise care alongside presentation
The programme continues to contribute to a growing canon of Takatāpui research, storytelling, and artistic practice — shaped by each artist who comes through it.
Te Tīmatanga is not a single event or season — it is an ongoing commitment to holding space for Takatāpui artists to explore, create, and define their own futures.
Artworks listed in order of image top to bottom, left to right.
Image 1: N/A
Image 2:
Work 1 (Left): Pēpi Hā, Matariki, Mahina, Tihema Bennett. 2022.
Work 2 (Centre): Āhuru Mōwai, Atarangi Anderson. 2022.
Work 3 (Right): Funny Games, Abigail Aroha Jensen, 2022.
Image 3: Funny Games, Abigail Aroha Jensen, 2022.
Image 4: Pēpi Hā, Matariki, Mahina, Tihema Bennett. 2022.
Image 5:
Work 1: Ko Te Pito, Grayson Goffe, 2022.
Work 2: Whakarei, Piki Toi Artist Collective, Whakamana, Hāpori mā, 2022.
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