Springboard Class of 2025 — The newly revealed 2025 Springboard Award recipients.

Springboard Award

Springboard aims to kickstart sustainable arts careers for artists at a formative stage of their practice in Aotearoa New Zealand, thanks to funding from our generous community of arts backers.

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Springboard Recipients

Year awarded: 2025

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Meet your 2025 Springboard recipients

Six artists – each ready to take the plunge into a full-time arts career – with outstanding potential across a diverse range of arts disciplines. Along with a $15,000 gift, each recipient has been matched (with cupid-like consideration!) to a senior artist mentor from the Arts Foundation artist alumni and beyond. Mentors will also receive a $5,000 koha for their time.

The Arts Foundation Springboard packages are 100% funded through personal giving. Huge thanks to these generous arts backers who have made our 2025 Springboard Awards possible:

Jamie and Ann Selkirk, The Edgar Family, Dr. Fiona Pardington with Starkwhite, The NZ Players Trust, and Marko and Jennifer Bogoievski.

Meet your 2025 Springboard duos:

Jaya Beach-Robertson (Film) mentored by 2017 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Jemaine Clement
Receiving the Springboard Award for Film gifted by Jamie and Ann Selkirk

“It is rare to encounter filmic work that successfully blends graphic imagery, humor, and social commentary. However, Jaya has impressed the panel with her diverse and innovative approach to visual storytelling. Jaya's determination to push creative boundaries while maintaining both depth and relevance is truly commendable." – Springboard Selection Panel

Learn more about Jaya.

Liam Wooding (Music) mentored by 2007 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Michael Houstoun CNZM
Receiving the Springboard Award gifted by The Edgar Family

“Liam is a generous artist who is already distinguishing himself as an engaging performer of note. He is committed to contributing to his community, both by artistically engaging in the regions, but also through working with local composers and being fearless in the presentation of new music." – Springboard Selection Panel

Learn more about Liam.

Ming Ranginui (Visual Arts) mentored by 2022 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Sarah Hudson of Mataaho Collective
Receiving the Springboard Award for Visual Arts gifted by The Edgar Family

“Ming’s work profoundly captures the complexities of contemporary lived experience in Aotearoa and beyond. Her material proficiency is exquisite, and delights audiences as they are enabled to engage with the work on many levels as she weaves multiple contexts together." – Springboard Selection Panel

Learn more about Ming.

Qianye 林千叶 and Qianhe Lin 林千和 (Visual Arts) mentored by 2014 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Lisa Reihana CNZM
Receiving the Springboard Award for Visual Arts gifted by Dr Fiona Pardington and Starkwhite

"Qianye and Qianhe work collaboratively, expertly weaving personal, queer, and Chinese mythologies and histories through their storytelling. Their innovative and interdisciplinary practice is ambitious and conceptually rigorous, and we are excited to see how this award and mentoring programme will contribute to a sustainable future for them both.” – Springboard Selection Panel

Learn more about Qianye 林千叶 and Qianhe 林千和.

Talia Pua (Theatre) mentored by 2024 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Miriama McDowell
Receiving the Springboard Award for Theatre gifted by The NZ Players Trust

“Talia is a creative polymath. Her artistic practice spans across various mediums and form, whilst theatre is her primary practice I would call her multi disciplinary artist. she is an exciting, dynamic, surprising and mysterious voice to our sector and we are in for treat with her artistic journey.” – Springboard Selection Panel

Learn more about Talia.

Villa Junior Lemanu (Dance) mentored by 2011 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Lemi Ponifasio
Receiving the Springboard Award for Dance gifted by Marko and Jennifer Bogoievski

“Villa is a uniquely talented dance and multidisciplinary artist : curious, dedicated, generous and self-driven. Highly disciplined and rigorous in his practice, Villa is a potent collaborator in dance and theatre, plus an accomplished writer and filmmaker. His vision for developing new projects and fostering artistic growth signals his enormous potential to shape the future of dance in a remarkable way.” – Springboard Selection Panel

Learn more about Villa.

How were our recipients selected?

Springboard called for nominations in November 2024, and an independent selection panel gathered late February 2025 to review the submissions received.

The selection panel, chaired by Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Trustee Tanea Heke, included:

Chloe Cull (Pouarataki Curator Māori at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū)
Ruth Buchanan (Director at Artspace Auckland)
Dr. Jeremy Mayall (Composer, Musician and CEO of Creative Waikato)
Shona McCullagh (Artistic Director, 2002 Laureate)
Ahilan Karunaharan (Theatre maker, 2020 Laureate)
Pietra Brettkelly (Film maker, 2019 Laureate)

2006 Laureate Oscar Kightley MNZM speaking at the 2023 Laureate Awards.

What's Springboard all about?

“I feel like it creates a pathway where there isn't one. Normally you kind of just get into the arts and make it up as you go. The biggest value of this mentor-mentee thing is the relationship that you create – which then leads to ripple effects and other stuff. It’s also good for the mentors to see the issues that are still the same and to see where maybe you were, and to be able to offer a way through and be able to say ‘it's all right, this is normal, this is exactly as it should be – and you're going to get through this, you just have to stick at it’.” – 2006 Arts Foundation Laureate and 2020 Springboard mentor, Oscar Kightley

Springboard 2024 – A Year in Review

What does a year of funding and mentorship look like for an emerging artist? We caught up with our 2024 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Springboard recipients and their mentors to see where they are now – one year down the track!