Explore events
2026 Festival Highlights
2026 Pānga WhetiwaraEvents
Overall attendance
Artists, crew and event staff engaged
Audience satisfaction
New audiences
Wellington residents agreed that events like the Festival make Wellington a more enjoyable place to live
Pieces of media coverage
Events
Overall attendance
Artists, crew and event staff engaged
Audience satisfaction
New audiences
Wellington residents agreed that events like the Festival make Wellington a more enjoyable place to live
Pieces of media coverage
Events
Overall attendance
Artists, crew and event staff engaged
Audience satisfaction
New audiences
Wellington residents agreed that events like the Festival make Wellington a more enjoyable place to live
Pieces of media coverage
After a whirlwind three weeks, the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts has officially wrapped up its 40th year! 🎉
Article Magazine
-
Libraries, Books and Theatre
Button up your cardigan, Dave Armstrong’s brand new play Local Library has its world premiere at Circa Theatre this month.
An affectionate comedy about libraries, loneliness, local bodies and busy-bodies, Local Library reunites well-known Wellington actors Peter Hambleton and Jude Gibson. We caught up with the pair to talk about friendship, theatre, libraries and books.
-
Something Surprising
It's been a long journey for the six incredibly talented Finalists in the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest.
We grabbed a few minutes with Cecily Shaw, brothers Faamanu and Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono, Samuel Downes, Samuel Mataele, and Sarah Mileham on Sunday night to ask each of them to tell us something about themselves which may surprise people. Read on to find out who used to figure skate, and who has been taking heavy metal 'scream' lessons!
-
The Giving Gauge
Hundreds of New Zealand charities – including the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts and Wellington Jazz Festival (2025 performance Boogie Wonderland pictured) – rely on generous donations to support their work.
Tāwhiri Patron Partner Bloomsbury Associates have just launched a practical tool to help people determine their philanthropic ability. The Giving Gauge is designed to help people understand their capacity to give, while maintaining confidence in their own financial wellbeing. We find out more from Bloomsbury Associates Founder and Principal Adviser Philip Stevenson.