KAITIAKI WHANONGA PONO: Juanita Davis has been volunteering as a weaving tutor at Whanganui Prison for more than two years and her dedication saw her recently awarded a Kaitiaki Whanonga Pono (values) award from Ara Poutama Aotearoa Department of Corrections. It takes just a few minutes of talking to men who have taken her classes to see why. Read more

Latest news updates

Thinkit art programme in Invercargill Prison

1 July 2020
A new art programme designed to enrich creativity, and enhance self-esteem and problem-solving skills, is underway in Invercargill Prison. Thinkit is a five-week, ten-session programme that aims to help participants build skills and develop strategies to help them navigate everyday life. Read more

Arts mentors step up at Northland prison

1 July 2020
Beth Hill knew the arts mentors she helped train through the Tuakana Teina peer mentoring programme at Northland Region Corrections Facility had the skills to keep some of the arts activities going through the COVID-19 lockdown. But she was blown away by just how much they achieved during the seven weeks of Level 4 and 3 lockdown when she was unable to work at the prison. Read more

International recognition for Audio Described Aotearoa

25 June 2020
Auckland company Audio Described Aotearoa has received international recognition for its efforts in providing audio description for blind and low vision arts patrons, particularly during New Zealand’s COVID-19 lockdown. This includes collaboration with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, resulting in more than 1500 people around the world tuning into four audio described online ballets. Read more

New ways of performance under lockdown

23 June 2020
Fiona McKenzie started up the Inclusive Performance Academy of Canterbury just weeks before New Zealand went into lockdown because of COVID-19. Undaunted, the group carried on, meeting twice a week on the video-conferencing app Zoom. Read more 

Depot Artspace a confidence booster

16 June 2020
“I can safely say that I've never had this much confidence in securing a job as I do working with the people at Depot Artspace. Anyone thinking about joining the family, who lives with a disability or lifestyle they're nervous to be open about, will be treated with the best of care and love,” says Auckland digital artist Ashe Black. Read more

Audio Described Aotearoa goes online

7 May 2020
Royal New Zealand Ballet’s announcement in April that it would livestream videos of previous productions, making them available to a global online audience, was seen by Audio Described Aotearoa as an opportunity to include blind patrons in the audience. Read more

“I can show myself in my art”

23 April 2020
Palmerston North’s Georgia Garrett is a triple threat: a dancer, an artist and an actor. She does drama at CJ’s Hub, dancing at Jorjaz, and art with Aroha Lowe. Georgia has been dancing with Jorjaz since she was 16 and dances in the main troupe, along with her friends. Read more 

Community dance fellow to write resource for prisons

21 April 2019
Kristie Mortimer, recipient of the 2020 Caroline Plummer Fellowship administered by Otago University, will research and write a resource on how to teach dance in prisons and in the wider community. Her project includes facilitating weekly dance classes in a prison but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed those plans. She does, however, hope to return to the original plan later in the year. Read more 

Michael Krammer’s dance journey

18 March 2020
"I can be myself. With dance, there is no right and wrong,” says Christchurch dancer Michael Krammer, a founding member of Jolt in Christchurch and an assistant tutor with Arts Integrated since 2014. Michael describes his 19 years with Jolt as “an incredible journey”. He’s performed in most of Jolt’s major shows and performances.  Sometimes I feel nervous but I just pretend there is no audience and then I can dance." Read more