Witi’s Wāhine - Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival

Hāpai Productions and Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival - World Premiere.

A theatrical celebration of the most inspirational female characters to have graced the pages of New Zealand fiction.

Guided by their sharpness of wit, keen powers of observation, and the foresight to bend the elements to their will… Witi’s Wāhine pays tribute to the true stars of Ihimaera’s novels – those indomitable female characters so beloved by readers.

Lovingly crafted from excerpts from his semi-autobiographical collection of short stories and novels, our heroines will take you on an epic journey across their history, their mythology, their cultural consciousness – as we recognise the passion, truth and spirit of mana wāhine.

Performed by Te Tairāwhiti’s own Mere Boynton, Roimata Fox, Ani-Piki Tuari, Ngapaki Moetara (acclaimed actresses, musicians and kapahaka champions in their own right), Witi’s Wāhine brings to life remarkable female characters from novels such as The Matriarch, Whānau, Pounamu Pounamu and more in an evening that will ignite your deepest instincts of a people in metamorphosis.

More about Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival
Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival is the Gisborne region’s new flagship contemporary arts and cultural event, taking place, for the first time, from 4-20 October this year. Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival will deliver performance events by hundreds of performers from across New Zealand and the Pacific.

The festival celebrates what it means to be of Tairāwhiti and of Aotearoa. It reflects and celebrates the people of the Gisborne region and the East Coast. It reinforces the importance of people and place, and further affirms the region’s strong position in the creative landscape of Aotearoa.

For the full programme and ticketing information, please visit www.tetairawhitiartsfestival.nz.