Te Hau Whakaako

Te Hau Whakaako is a kaupapa for Māori & Pasifika rangatahi creatives in Te Whanganui‑a‑Tara. 

Its purpose is to create a culturally grounded, mokopuna-focused, mana‑enhancing space where rangatahi can develop their creative skills, build community, and strengthen their connection to the whakapapa of Māori theatre. 

Your tautoko helps us keep this kaupapa free, resourced, and thriving, so rangatahi can walk in and know: “This place was built for me.” 

- Parekawa Finlay (Most Promising Ngā Toi Artist nominee NZ Fringe 2026)

- Raureti Ormond (Most Promising Emerging Artist Nominee NZ Fringe 2024, Most Promising Newcomer nominee Wellington Theatre Awards 2025)

Your support directly enables us to run these monthly wānanga with integrity and care. Funding will go toward:

• Manaaki & kai: closing each session with shared food is not optional; it is tikanga. It upholds wellbeing, connection, and the collective spirit of the space.
• Rangatahi-led facilitation koha: our young leaders guide the majority of the wānanga, building confidence, leadership, and ownership of their creative practice.
• Guest facilitators koha (2 sessions): we bring in experienced Māori and Pasifika practitioners to elevate the learning, expose rangatahi to new techniques, and deepen their artistic pathways.
• Transport support: ensuring no young person is prevented from attending because of cost.
• Documentation & visibility: photography, videography, and small marketing boosts to celebrate the kaupapa and share its impact with whānau and community.

Many core costs, venue hire, producer hours, design, editing, and materials, are already covered through in‑kind support from Taki Rua and the creative team, meaning every donated dollar goes directly into the experience and well-being of our rangatahi.

Te Hau Whakaako is a year-long, rangatahi-led skill-building programme based at Te Haukainga, the home of Taki Rua. 

It is a space where Māori and Pasifika rangatahi can explore acting, storytelling, movement, and cultural practice in ways that honour who they are and where they come from. 

Most sessions are facilitated by our own rangatahi, building their confidence, leadership, and ownership of the kaupapa. Alongside this, we bring in two guest facilitators across the year: experienced Māori and Pasifika practitioners who can elevate the learning, introduce new techniques, and open pathways our rangatahi may not have known existed.

Te Hau Whakaako strengthens cultural identity, grows young leaders, and ensures the future of Māori and Pasifika storytelling remains in the hands of those who carry it.

This project is produced by PŪ TE HUE Productions, in partnership with Taki Rua, whose in-kind support provides the foundations: venue, guidance, and creative home. But the heart of the programme, the parts that directly uplift our rangatahi, still rely on community support.

If you want to see Māori and Pasifika leadership shaping the creative landscape,

If you want to invest in the hands sketching tomorrow,

Donate to Te Hau Whakaako. Link in bio.

Te Hau Whakaako will create a lasting impact across our communities:

• For rangatahi:  A place to grow their confidence, identity, and artistic skill, surrounded by mentors who see them, value them, and champion their potential.
• For Māori and Pasifika arts:  A visible kaupapa that strengthens the future of our industry and ensures our stories continue to be told by us, for us.
• For Te Haukainga and Taki Rua:   A revitalised community presence and a new generation connected to the whakapapa of Māori theatre in Aotearoa.
• For the wider community: Stronger cultural leadership, Empowered young creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem rooted in aroha. 

Your tautoko doesn’t just fund workshops, it invests in identity, belonging, and the future of Māori and Pasifika storytelling.