Te Rā Aro ki a Matariki – Tauranga Moana and on Thursday 13 July 2023, in just under two weeks, Ngā Tohu Toi Awards will recognise ten exceptional creatives who are deserving of special recognition for their remarkable contribution to Toi Māori Creative Arts. Tickets are limited for Ngā Tohu Toi and are on sale now here.
The University of Waikato, Tauranga Campus provides a stunning backdrop for this special catered celebration, where whānau, friends, colleagues, supporters and leaders come together to honour the success of 2023 Ngā Tohu Toi Award recipients. Open to descendents who hold whakapapa to Tauranga Moana, the 2023 Ngā Tohu Toi Awards recognize outstanding achievement and contribution of a range of creative storytellers and art practitioners, across a number of creative disciplines, including: visual arts, education, film, research, music, and customary knowledge.
The awards are organised by Te Tuhi Mareikura Trust, a charitable trust that supports Māori arts and artist development in Tauranga Moana. Trust chair, Julie Paama-Pengelly believes Matariki is a fitting time to consider how far Māori have come in the creative space, with new tools and ongoing challenges to Māori customs, creatives have continued to push forward Māori stories and practices in meaningful and often groundbreaking ways. “Ngā Tohi Toi Awards recognise that our people are making significant contributions in their creative fields and it is fitting that we appreciate their illumination of Māori ways of being and knowing in an ever changing, challenging world”.
“It is also a source of pride to us that awareness of what our artists contribute is also gaining the attention of our business community, their support and recognition is hugely appreciated and helps bring us all closer together as a community” says Paama-Pengelly. Each award is sponsored and presented by a local business that provides for a special Ngā Tohu Toi trophy and monetary recognition to be granted to each award recipient.
“We are proud to celebrate the creativity and talent of Māori people from Tauranga Moana,” said Ngā Tohi Toi organiser Ayesha Kee. “These awards are a way to showcase their work and achievements, and to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.”
The Ngā Tohu Toi Awards will be held on 13 July 2023 at the University of Waikato, Tauranga Campus. The event will be a celebration of Māori excellence in the creative industries, and will feature performances, presentations, and a gala dinner.
Tickets for the event are now on sale. For more information, please visit the Ngā Tohu Toi Awards website.
About Te Tuhi Mareikura Trust: Conceived in 2015 and spearheaded by leading Māori artists of the Tauranga Moana region, Te Tuhi Mareikura Charitable Trust (TMT) Tauranga is passionately dedicated to bringing audiences and artists together to experience, explore and develop the unique artistic art legacy of the Tauranga Moana region.
The trust is committed to supporting the development of Māori arts and culture of Tauranga Moana. Ngā Tohu Toi Awards are one of the trust’s flagship initiatives that serve to build pathways for Māori to express their identity through the recognition of Māori leadership and excellence in the creative industries.
