AAA2024 wānanga

Te Rau Karamu Marae (wharenui) and Te Whaioranga o Te Taiao (wharekai)
Massey University Wellington, Pukeahu Campus
26-28 April


Held over ANZAC weekend at the award-winning and tino ataahua Te Rau Karamu Marae, the AAA2024 wānanga invited valued past collaborators and supporters of the AAA kaupapa to reflect on over a decade of creative and critical conversations, connect and look forward together. 

Scheduled at the end of the AAA2024 programme, the gathering followed in the tradition of earlier Asian Aotearoa Arts Hui, providing a unique opportunity for peer-to-peer conversations with other Asian Tauiwi artists, designers, creatives, writers, researchers, knowledge-holders, educators, students and alumni.

With over 50 attendees (including 20 staying onsite), the wānanga was an opportunity for sustained and focussed consideration of whakapapa, whanaungatanga and creative resilience, and the AAA 10-year anniversary theme of Past, Present & Futures.

Programme highlights included: 

  • a Mihi Whakatau;

  • a kōrero about Te Rau Karamu Marae with Kura Puke & Stuart Foster;

  • a hikoi around Pukeahu with Angela Kilford; 

  • an afternoon tea & chat with artists Wai Ching Chan & Tessa Ma’auga and their artwork 千千絲萬萬結，結實累累 Bountiful Knots, Fruitful Ties at The Engine Room Gallery;

  • a presentation on Creating History for the Present: Asian Aotearoa art collections at Te Papa with Grace Gassin (Curator Asian New Zealand Histories, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa);

  • a presentation on Te Hekenga Taikoa | 紐華源流 by Kirsten Wong (NZ Chinese Association), Jef Wong (Designworks) and  Liam Ooi (Designworks);

  • a workshop on Public Programming to Facilitate Social Impact with Elaine Rollins (Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre); and

  • a workshop on Taonga, Tools, Traps & Affinities: Nuancing an Aotearoa-Asia-Pacific Design Education with Micheal McCabe (AUT Architecture School) and Sonya Withers (CoCA Massey)

This invigorating and engaging programme was fuelled by extraordinarily good catering courtesy of the incredible Sam Buchanan.