Tuatara Collective presents FOR THE FALLEN

A moving and powerful tribute to commemorate ANZAC Day featuring the poetry of Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, haka and waiata, performed by an incredibly talented cast of local rangatahi from Tauranga Moana.

FOR THE FALLEN is a rangatahi-inspired community engagement project that engages local young people to investigate and imagine conversations with young people of yesteryear who went to war – in particular the trials and tribulations of the Māori Battalion and their whānau.

Workshops are held over a 6-day period where 30 rangatahi participants aged between 13-21 research, explore and develop the kaupapa and content through performing art forms (text, dance, music and haka) and visual art forms. Running parallel to this mahi, rangatahi and their whānau are invited to engage with Tuatara Collective’s unique Rātā Initiative, an innovative high-quality arts practice collaborating with health professionals to support mental health and wellness in the creative industries. Māori mindfulness and wellness practices are weaved into every part of the wānanga.

The wānanga programme culminates with an impressive one-hour performance staged in a restaurant setting (sometimes in the local RSA). Audiences are transported into the taverns and public houses of Europe and North Africa during WWI and WWII – Italy, Crete, Greece, Turkey.

With war-time songs, dance and text including letters from the front, personal accounts from local veterans, and a collection of poetry by Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, these performances celebrate and remember our fallen ancestors, reminding us why, at the going down of the sun, we will remember them. Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou.

In 2024, the two performances sold out just three days after going on sale. This year FOR THE FALLEN will have five performances, touring to Waihī Beach RSA, Whangamatā RSA and Forta Leza Restaurant in Aongatete from 23 – 26 April 2025. The cast have also been invited to participate in the Whangamatā ANZAC Dawn Service on the beach.

Tuatara Collective provides space for artists to create and share stories with an authentic lens – especially our Māori, Pasifika and Rainbow / LGBTQiA2+ communities. All projects encourage community participation and facilitate kōrero. Tuatara Collective has developed the Rātā initiative, an innovative arts practice supporting mental health in the arts industry (for artists and audiences). This includes having mental health professionals present at every performance for the audience to engage with, as well as offering wānanga and training to the cast and crew during and after the project. This is a core value of Tuatara Collective, and informs their kaupapa and mahi.

“Once artists and audiences alike have support within the spaces where they experience art, the quality of work will be elevated, improving community and audience engagement and participation.” – Jason Te Mete, Tuatara Collective.

FOR THE FALLEN is on at various locations from 23 to 26 April 2025. Come and experience the power of Aotearoa’s future artistic leaders.

FOR THE FALLEN
Dates: 23-26 April 2025
Tickets: $15- $35
Bookings: Via the website here or phone 0212222859

Locations:
WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL, 6.00pm | Waihī Beach RSA, 99 Beach Road, Waihī Beach
THURSDAY 24 APRIL, 6.00pm | Whangamatā RSA, 324 Port Road, Whangamatā
FRIDAY 25 APRIL (ANZAC DAY), 6.00pm | Forta Leza Restaurant, 2656 State Highway 2, Aongatete
SATURDAY 26 APRIL, 2.00pm (Matinee) | Forta Leza Restaurant, 2656 State Highway 2, Aongatete
SATURDAY 26 APRIL, 6.00pm | Forta Leza Restaurant, 2656 State Highway 2, Aongatete

Image: Mauri-Paihere Totorewa (MPL Photography)