Community, Creativity and Ngaa Toi Maaori in Garden Place

Creative Waikato is thrilled to announce the Toi Maaori Ki Kirikiriroa Community Day Event is happening on Sunday, 10th September, in Garden Place. This full day celebration of ngaa toi Maaori kicks off at 10am and will be a day filled with workshops, music, kai and celebrations of all the different forms and expressions of Toi.

All are welcome to join and engage in the free workshops and experience and explore different forms of visual art, weaving, carving, poetry, music, taonga puuoro and more led by great local mahi toi practitioners. Alongside the workshops, a free concert will provide the soundtrack to the day featuring a number of local Maaori musicians and performers, with a stage of entertainment supported by Waikato Tainui delivering an all round cultural and creative experience.

Creative Waikato’s Kereama Clarke is the project lead and shares that the community day is about “He kai moo te iwi – Food for the iwi.” 

“The hope is that there is something for everyone, no matter who they are and what they came for. Whether it is to be educated in an art form or to be entertained by local emerging and established artists.”

Creative Waikato has proudly facilitated the community day with the support of Te Tari o te Kiingitanga, Te Kaunihera o Kirikiriroa – Hamilton City Council, Waikato Tainui, Hamilton Central Business Association, Hamilton Central Library and Te Whare Taonga o Waikato – Waikato Museum.

“We are so pleased to have partnered with creative specialists, local organisations and our supporters to share this celebration of mahi toi with the people and communities of Kirikiriroa,” says Creative Waikato’s CEO, Dr. Jeremy Mayall. 

“We know that toi is a powerful and multifaceted expression of local stories, opportunities for connection, and an enabler of hauora and wellbeing for people in this space.” 

The festivities will extend from Garden Place, as crowds are welcomed to explore Te Whare Taonga o Waikato – Waikato Museum, and enjoy their current exhibitions, including the waka taua Te Winika and spend time next to the Waikato River. Waikato Museum Director, Liz Cotton, is excited “for the arts community to gather in Kirikiriroa for such an accessible and open programme of koorero and practice.”

“Through these opportunities, the mahi of our arts communities continues to thrive, building on the important kaupapa of Toi is Rongoa, hosted by the Museum in 2022,” she said.

The Community Day is a celebration and the finishing element of the Toi Maaori Ki Kirikiriroa Waananga, a celebration that has been designed to create a space for Waikato toi Maaori to koorero, waananga and mahitahi, and serves as an epic kickstart into Te Wiki o Te Reo Maaori, which runs from September 11-17. 

Toi Maaori Ki Kirikiriroa Community Day will open at 10am with the workshops and concert kicking off and concluding at 5pm. Bring your whaanau and friends to have a hands-on experience with ngaa mahi Toi and enjoy this celebration of creativity and culture in Kirikiriroa.