20 Nov 2024
On Saturday 23 November, the Corbans Estate Arts Centre in Henderson will come alive to A Niu Dawn, a free performance and community festival celebrating the lives of Pacific people in Aotearoa since the Dawn Raids of the 1970s.
The festival brings many Pacific artists and artforms together as part of The Guerrilla Collection.
Neil Ieremia ONZM, Founding Artistic Director of Black Grace, founded The Guerrilla Collection in 2018 with the goal of uniting Pacific artists to create and present fresh exciting work for everyone in free festivals. The Covid years moved the enterprise online and now it’s back in its live format to tell the story of the Dawn Raids from the perspective of urban Pacific people.
“This generation of Pacific artists have grown up with the impact of the Dawn Raids and heard the stories. The festival is a chance to explore that narrative through our artforms, looking back and looking ahead to show what the future could look like. Reframing the experience of the Dawn Raids is a powerful part of moving to a positive future for the people of Moana Oceania,” Neil says.
A Niu Dawn is supported by the Niu Dawn Raids Funding initiative. This is a $1.9 million fund from Creative New Zealand and support partners Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and NZ On Air, developed as part of the government’s 2021 formal apology to Pacific people for the dawn raids.
Makerita Urale, Senior Manager, Pacific Arts at Creative New Zealand is managing the Niu Dawn Raids Funding initiative which has supported 28 artists and arts organisations to deliver works about the Dawn Raids.
“Black Grace is a global touring company led by the visionary and award-winning choreographer and artistic director Neil Ieremia. The Guerrilla Collection is pioneering as a concept for the way art is presented and shared as a festival platform. And ‘A Niu Dawn’ theme is focused on hope and prosperity since the Dawn Raids. It’s exciting and positive, combining collaboration and creative excellence that is free for everyone and anyone.” Makerita says.
A Niu Dawn showcases incredible talent: renowned actors and directors Anapela Polata’ivao ONZM and Vela Manusaute, South Auckland Pacific Dance Theatre Company Sau E Siva Creatives, Pacific Theatre Company Strictly Brown, poet Daren Kamali, Tuvaluan dancer Molia Alama-Tulufono, filmmakers Benji Timu and Josiah Tualamali’i, Māori performing arts practitioner, choreographer and artistic director Kura Te Ua, and actor, sculptor and cultural advocate Pita Turei. Artistic direction is by Neil Ieremia as leader of The Guerrilla Project, with main stage programming led by Leki Jackson-Bourke and live music programming led by Faiumu Matthew Salapu (aka Anonymouz).
A Niu Dawn runs from 10.00am to 8.30pm at Te Pou Theatre in the Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson on Saturday 23 November. Performances are on the hour with live music between, and there'll be food trucks, children’s activities, and free health information and services available for anyone who wants it.
The Niu Dawn Raids Funding initiative is managed by Creative New Zealand through a Mana Pasifika kaupapa process aligned with the Pacific Arts Strategy 2023-2028. The initiative is supporting 28 works by Pacific artists and organisation, all responding to the dawn raids in different forms, spanning film, dance, choral music, visual arts, song, and theatre.
See all the recipients of Creative New Zealand’s Niu Dawn Raids Funding Initiative on our website
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