30 Apr 2026
Taku manawa e kakapa nei, e kakapa ana ki ngā whetu ki te marama ka tau ki te rua. Kātahi au ka kite i te hē kātahi au ka kite i te mate. Ko taku tau kahurangi tēna ka riro kei Paerau kei te huinga o te kahurangi e, ka oti atu e. E te morehu pakeke, ko koe tēnei kua tiraha mai rā ki roto ki tōu waka whakareia. Ahakoa kua wahangū tō reo, otiia, ka paoro tonu te ihiihi o tō wairua i roto i ngā ngākau o te marea. Ko koe te kura tuitui tangata, te kura tuitui kaupapa. Kua kake koe ki te pūmotomoto o te rangi ki reira tiaho mai ra hei whetū piratarata mai mō tātou. Takoto mai ra e te mareikura i te takapau wharanui.
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Carla van Zon, a colleague, a friend, an advocate, and force within Aotearoa’s arts community. We join many across the motu in acknowledging her passing.
Gretchen La Roche, Chief Executive of Creative New Zealand says “Carla’s contribution to the arts was far-reaching. She believed in artists and in the importance of sharing their stories with the world, and in the power of the arts to connect us, to each other, to place, and to possibility.”
During her time at Creative New Zealand, she helped create pathways for artists to be seen and heard globally, including leading New Zealand’s presence at the Venice Biennale 2009. She went on to lead arts festivals across the motu, always championing big ideas, diversity, and work that reflected who we are.
“A dancer at heart, Carla carried that sensibility into everything she did, instinctive and resilient. She had the ability to bring people together, artists, audiences, communities. She was equally at home nurturing emerging talent and working on the world stage, and she did both with integrity and care,” says Gretchen.
Carla also brought colour, in every sense, to the spaces she was part of. From her style to her generous spirit, often arriving with feijoas or something homegrown to share.
She was known for asking the important questions, about purpose, about audience, about what it means to make something meaningful. She believed art could change lives. Through her work, she proved it. She will be remembered not only for what she achieved, but for how she did it.
Our thoughts are with her whānau, friends, and the many artists and communities whose lives she inspired and supported.
He toi whakairo, he mana tangata. He mana tangata he toi whakairo.