Lynette Gunnion Awhimai Fraser Role: Kaihere Ao & Participation Co-ordinator When did you start with NZ Opera and what was your position then? Kia ora! Ko Pirongia te Maunga Ko Waipa te Awa Ko Tainui te Waka Ko Te Papa o Rotu te Marae Ko Tainui te Iwi Ko Ngaati Mahanga Hourua, Ngaati Puukenga, Ngaati Korokii Kahukura, … Read more
On April 8th 2021, NZ Opera staff (with Board Chair Annabel Holland joining via ZOOM), came together for a half day wānanga led by Tūtira Mai NZ (Cherie (Panda) Waititi – Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-a-Apanui). We were taken through an in depth discussion on where the Company sits and what aspirations everyone within the Company has, both … Read more
On January 20th 2021, NZ Opera staff and Board Chair Annabel Holland had the privilege of being welcomed on to Mataatua Marae (Ngāti Awa ki Tāmaki Makaurau) for our very first Marae Wānanga as a Company. Our team was taken through a traditional Māori pōhiri including whaikōrero and waiata, ending in a hariru with whānau … Read more
In 2020 NZ Opera applied to Toi Māori to host an intern for 6 months and was accepted as one of only three organizations nationwide to host a Toi Māori intern in 2020, alongside Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival and Te Pou Theatre. Awhimai Fraser (Waikato, Ngai Tāmanuhiri, Ngāi Te Ipu) was selected as the Toi … Read more
Kaihere Ao is a role formed from the want and desire of the Company, to move forward and honour not only their bi-cultural journey but also to build and foster relationships between tangata whenua and NZ Opera as the Company progresses on this journey. The name “Kaihere Ao” means: One who brings the kaupapa of … Read more
NZ Opera performed at a NZ Portrait Gallery fundraising concert in May, with proceeds going towards the inaugural Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Awards. The awards were created to encourage Māori artists to celebrate their tūpuna and enable space for them to shine their pūkenga and talents, in any medium – providing a platform for a new … Read more
Greetings within the essence of Matariki and Happy Māori New Year! To celebrate Matariki and the Māori new year, some of our NZ Opera team shared a kai together here in our Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) office. We joined numerous businesses across Aotearoa, New Zealand who celebrated this kaupapa whakahirahira (important event), and it was a … Read more
Between 6-8 May 2021, NZ Opera held a 2 day workshop for a new piece of work, The Unruly Tourists – Luke di Somma (composer), Livi Reihana and Amanda Kennedy (libretto). The Company reflected on how best to support all creatives and practitioners in this workshop space, with safety not only creatively but culturally being … Read more
What does an Intimacy Director do? An Intimacy Director works with performers in the live performance arena to put a professional process in place for intimate scenes, in the same way as you would for fight choreography. These scenes are often where the performer is most vulnerable and exposed and there is greater potential for … Read more
If you have been following our emails and content on The Marriage of Figaro, you will be familiar with our performers and the creative team that made this production so special. What often flies under the radar is the huge amount of activity that our Participation tīma put together for the wider community supporting our … Read more