Whakapuāwai is an annual programme offering opportunities for development and connection for the Māori performing arts community.
Join us monthly for Waiata Sessions with Aleesha-Tia Taua as part of our Whakapuawai Programme! These sessions are an opportunity to come together, whakawhanaungatanga and learn a new waiata Māori to add to your kete. Guiding participants through our waiata sessions is the manu tioriori Aleesha-Tia Taua. Waiata sessions are held monthly on Mondays over 2025.
Āhea | When: Mondays 13 Oct, 3 Nov & 10 Nov 6-7:30pm
Kei hea | Where: Te Pou Theatre
Mo wai | For who: Māori creatives, but all who come are welcome!
Utu | Cost: Kore utu
Bringing back our Te Pou Awe series for 2025, we are inviting rangatahi & emerging artists of the Māori performing arts community to come along and sharpen up your acting skills. Te Pou Awe is facilitated by Tainui Tukiwaho, covering the many facets of acting and what makes Māori Theatre. Classes will run every Tuesday from 23 September – 11 Nov. Sign up to participate in this series, upskill your acting craft and boost your confidence in a playful space.
Please note: attendees must be 16 years and older to attend. If 16 and 17, parental approval in writing is needed.
Āhea | When: Tuesdays 23 Sep – 11 Nov, 6-9pm
Kei hea | Where: Te Pou Theatre, 2 Mt Lebanon Lane
Mō wai | For who: Rangatahi & emerging artists in the Māori performing arts community
Utu | Cost: Kore utu | Free
Roanga | Duration: 3hrs per night
This free two day workshop offers theatre training for young people aged 14-25 years. Suitable for all levels of experience, it’s led by two professional teaching artists from the Massive teaching team. You will learn a wide range of theatre foundation skills and techniques, and explore different ways of making theatre pieces using your own ideas and stories. The workshop runs from 10am to 4pm each day.
TEACHING ARTISTS: Denyse Su’a and Manunui Rainey
Denyse Su’a is an educator, creative practitioner and ‘maker of things’. Denyce has been a member of Massive Theatre Company since 2012, and has trained as an actor, director and teaching artist with the company. She performed in The Wholehearted (2016-2017) and The Island, which toured to the National Theatre of Scotland Youth Exchange Programme in 2016. She loves collaborative spaces where ideas can be let loose, and magic can be found. Theatre’s the perfect space for all that goodness to happen.
Manunui Rainey is an actor hailing from a little town called Tūrangi. He graduated from Unitec in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Performing and Screen Arts. Manu joined Massive at the start of 2023 through a Foundations workshop, and has been a member of Massive Nui Ensemble ever since. He recently performed in Massive’s 2024 production of Te Ao Hou, and is taking part in Massive’s Directors Lab 2024.
Āhea | When: Wed 1 Oct 2025 & Thur 2 Oct 2025, 10am – 4pm each day
Kei hea | Where: Te Pou Theatre
– Richard Te Are
We are grateful to have various organisations, businesses and people supporting many different aspects of Te Pou, including our kaitautoko.
We couldn’t achieve what we have without their support.
We would like to acknowledge the following organisations who specifically support the annual Whakapuāwai Programme:
