A matter of mana

Maori performers finally have a dedicated venue to be proud of in West Auckland.

- AROHA AWARAU

Early on January 28, the day after Auckland experienced torrential rains that caused the worst flooding in recent memory, more than 200 people arrived for a traditional dawn blessing of the newly renovated Te Pou Theatre in Henderson, West Auckland.

The ceremony for the $3 million indigenous performing arts venue was attended by government minister Kelvin Davis and community leaders, along with experienced and young Māori actors and technicians working in the arts. That so many people braved the terrible weather showed the importance of Te Pou, one of the few performing arts venues in the world whose sole purpose is to support and develop indigenous theatre.

“For Māori and other indigenous cultures, we are often removed and alienated from land and spaces, which makes it important to have a theatre like Te Pou, to have a physical place where we can stand and place our feet,” says Te Pou co-founder Amber Curreen.

“We will be the only indigenous performing arts venue in the world that is not part of another building or organisation. It allows us to be able to live and do things our own way.”

Of the $3 million raised for the theatre’s renovations, a third came from the government’s Regional and Cultural Heritage Fund, with an investment of $1.17 million. Eleven other organisations donated to the purpose-built venue in an old shed at the Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson, formerly a winery. The building that once stored wine barrels is now home to a 250seat theatre, a rehearsal space, offices, and a large entertainment foyer with bar facilities.