Celebrating Thriving Local Creativity
We have said it multiple times.
We know arts, culture and creativity thrives in our communities.
It connects local people and shares local stories.
Our artists do awesome and inspiring things. And this recognition has been coming in from multiple different places in recent months. As we come to the end of 2024, we wanted to share a collection of these great local artists.
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To start we have those people who have demonstrated outstanding services to arts and culture in the Hamilton Civic Awards. The Civic awards are to recognise those people who have made an outstanding contribution to the community.
ARTS AND CULTURE AWARD
Coryn Knapper
Coryn has been working consistently in musical theatre in connection to Riverlea Theatre. She is a retired school teacher specialising in music and drama, with extensive experience in directing school shows and youth choirs. She was the musical director for Riverlea Theatre Junior Broadway shows like “Seussical Jr” and “Madagascar Jr”, as well as directing “Into The Woods Jr”.
ARTS AND CULTURE AWARD
Marieke Nation
Marieke is the choir director of the Tron Songsters. She is also Music Specialist at Te Kōwhai School, and also directs the choir at Te Rauhii – a scholarship music programme in Nawton. Her focus is on creating beautiful children’s choirs that uplift those in the choir and those around them, a place where the children feel empowered and have a strong sense of belonging.
ARTS AND CULTURE AWARD
Miriana Wetere-Ryder
Miriana is leader of Street Dance Sessions – A local hip hop dance studio where the focus is on learning street dance and hip hop skills and techniques while developing individual style. They offer dancers of all levels a place to explore and create, to build self-confidence and self-discipline while sharing a love of dance.
ARTS AND CULTURE AWARD
Sandra Jensen
Sandra is an artist and managing director of Free Lunch Street Theatre Company. She is a stilt walker, vintage maverick, velocipede enthusiast and octopod fan. Sandra has been hooked on street theatre and costume-making for the last 28 years. She loves being creative because it allows her to transform her ideas into reality.
ARTS AND CULTURE AWARD
Sano Taiese
Sano is the director of Gracefully Pasifika. A Pasifika dance and performing arts group that has been celebrating culture, aiga and community in Hamilton for 5 years. She weaves communities together through Pacific dance and cultural practice.
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Nationally, we recognise two local creatives in the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards – with the award ceremony held at Parliament.
THE SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
Olga Wilson (Leafa)
Her significant contribution to Pacifica Arts and the wider creative community. Leafa is a Waikato-based multimedia performance artist. She was previously the curator of art at Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato (2004-2022). She worked with Creative Waikato on their South Waikato Cultural Activator project and as the project lead for Whiria te Tāngata.
THE LOSEFA ENARI MEMORIAL AWARD
Emmanuel Foniti-Fuimaono
Emmanuel is a Samoan tenor from Flaxmere, Hastings, who just completed his Masters in Opera at The University of Waikato.
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Another set of national awards is the Creative NZ Te Waka Toi Awards for 2024.
TE TOHU AROHA MŌ TE ARIKINUI DAME TE ATAIRANGIKAAU SUPREME AWARD
Aroha Yates-Smith (Te Arawa, Tainui)
Professor Aroha Yates-Smith is a retired Dean of Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao, the School of Māori and Pacific Development at Waikato University. She is an artist, researcher, composer and performer. Her work is connected to matauranga, reo, and taonga puoro in many forms.
NGĀ TOHU HAUTŪTANGA AUAHA TOI – MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARD
James Thornton Webster (Tainui: Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Mahuta; Te Arawa: Ngati Pikiao; and Pākeha: Webster Clan)
James Thornton Webster is of Māori and European descent who has practised as an artist for more than 30 years. He’s based in Kapanga, Coromandel where he is the owner of Tahaa, Tāmoko Studio and Māori Arts. James is a multi-disciplinary artist, specialising in sculpture and working on carving (bone, stone and wood), painting, mixed-media creations and public artworks.
NGĀ MANU PĪRERE AWARD – RECOGNISING EMERGING MĀORI ARTISTS SHOWING PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN THEIR CHOSEN ARTFORM
Jade Hohaia Te Uri Karaka (Raukawa, Waikato, Ngā Puhi, Ngāi Tahu)
Jade has worked extensively in the areas of restorative justice, indigenous leadership and communication. Jade has been honoured as a ‘Local Hero’ for this work in the New Zealander of the Year Awards. Formerly, Jade was the Communication Manager for Waikato-Tainui, the International Press Secretary for the Māori King (in Italy) and Editor of the award-winning magazine – Te Hookioi. Transitioning from running her own communications company, Hohaia Innovations, Jade is now involved in the indigenous philanthropy and leadership sector. Jade has self-published two books and her third book Tāmihana: A Legacy of Servant Leadership in Aotearoa has now been picked up by Bateman Books.
TE TOHU IHO PŪMANAWA AWARD – RECOGNISES THE CONTRIBUTION OF A TANGATA WHAIKAHA, TURI MĀORI, DEAF OR DISABLED MĀORI ARTIST
Rāhera Turner (Waikato/Tainui, Ngāti Mahuta, Te Patupō, Ngāti Tūwharetoa)
Rāhera is the NZSL Creative Consultant for Equal Voices Arts, an award-winning Deaf and hearing theatre company. She ensures that all creative uses of NZSL are Deaf-led. Rāhera provides Deaf Awareness training and NZSL consultation across Aotearoa New Zealand’s arts sector. She serves on the advisory panels for Creative New Zealand and Arts Access Aotearoa, promoting access for Deaf, hard of hearing, and disabled communities. Passionate about advocacy, she also focuses on service co-designed for Turi (Deaf) Māori.
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Finally, to acknowledge the significant recognition of another Waikato-based artist, we look to The Arts Foundation Arts Laureates.
2024 ARTS FOUNDATION TE TUMU TOI LAUREATE RECEIVING THE TE MOANA-NUI-A-KIWA AWARD GIFTED BY JILLIAN FRIEDLANDER
Horomona Horo (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Taranaki)
A masterful composer and musician, Horomona Horo is known for his expertise in taonga pūoro, the traditional Māori musical instruments. Dedicating more than two decades to this ancient Māori art form, he innovatively blends traditional sounds with diverse genres – preserving ancestral voices while playing a pivotal role in its international resurgence.
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We know that creativity takes many forms.
And recognition occurs at different scales.
We celebrate the creativity that happens every day in Waikato communities.
And we take time to celebrate these examples of outstanding creative activity and service taking place in the Waikato.