Archived Events

SECOND SHOW ADDED. Magical things can happen when you're diagnosed with a brain tumour! Emma Lange brings this one-of-a-kind solo comedy home to Queenstown, after wowing the big cities and winning ardent fans like Dame Jools Topp. Friday 19 April, 7pm and Saturday 20 April, 7pm | PUĀWAI | $25/$20

Experience the captivating world of piano music with award-winning international pianist and composer, Daniel Verstappen. Belgium-based Daniel blends classical elegance with contemporary innovation, reconnecting all ages with classical music. Wednesday 17 April, 7pm | PUĀWAI | $25/$35

Piano students and teachers – take this opportunity to join international pianist and composer Daniel Verstappen in a masterclass working directly with students. Daniel will focus on technique, performance for concerts or exams, posture, rhythm and more. Wednesday 17 April, 1pm | PUĀWAI | $15/$10

Four nationally recognised intaglio printmakers bring together their individual explorations of environments, atmosphere and language. Kyla Cresswell, Catherine Macdonald, Prue MacDougall and Nan Mulder respond to Hone Tuwhare's poem 'Rain', creating a visual connection with the written word, investigating the aural landscape, our fundamental ties to nature, elements of time and the human experience. Open daily until 14 April | MANAAKI NUI | Free

Drop in and create a badge as a memento, inspired by printmaker Kyla Cresswell’s creative markmaking. Sunday 14 April, 11am-2pm | MANAAKI NUI | $5 a badge

Try a great fun intaglio printmaking technique using recycled tetra pak cartons to make etchings with Kyla Cresswell. This material is easy to shape, cut into and print from. Create something uniquely yours - by using an etching press, create your own handmade prints. Saturday 13 April 2024, 10am - 3.30pm | MAHI TAHI | $120

Come along to our Youthtown Afterschool Programme where we form a fun environment for creative learning for tamariki aged 5-12. Mondays - Drama and Theatre Sports | Wednesdays - Creative Clay | Thursdays - Mixed Media | 3:30pm - 5pm

Come to this weekly (drop-in) Afro dance class - learning to move to West African rhythms, mainly Guinean influenced by Afro-brazilian and Afro-cuban cultures with Melina Shabe. Every Wednesday 7pm | KAPA RUA

Join us for a series of creative and hands-on workshops where we explore a variety of mediums and art forms. Led by accredited art teacher Michelle, these workshops will offer a variety of ways to have fun in the Arts. Tuesdays 3:30-5pm | Ages 12-18

ProDanceNz is delivering a professional, profound and progressive dance education to students of all ages. Every Tuesday during the term: 5-6pm Contemporary Junior (10-13 years) and 6-7pm Contemporary Teens (13+ years) | KAPA RUA

NO CLASSES IN SCHOOL HOLIDAYS - Wriggle and Rhyme is a music and movement programme for pēpē and tamariki aged 0-2 held weekly in our Kapa Tahi space. Join our facilitator Sunny Sky of EpicKids for this 45-minute class. Now available two sessions: Monday 10-10:45am and 11-11:45am. Registrations essential.

Join us for a fun-filled afternoon of drama and theatrical fun | Mondays, Term 4 | Ages 5-7 3:30 - 4:15pm | Ages 8-12 4:15 - 5pm | KAPA TAHI

Curated by Gina Matchitt, Īnakinaki is an exhibition of artwork by Wi Taepa and Kristin O’Sullivan Peren. Their diverse practices of uku, printmaking, and digital light coding intersect in this installation. Friday 26 January - Monday 1 April | WHAKAARI | Free

A Good Friday recital celebrating the most sumptuous songs ever written about death, love and hope, including Strauss’s Four Last Songs and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder. Friday 29 March, 5-7pm | PUĀWAI | $40/$25

QAS is bringing back life-drawing classes! Join us for four weeks of classical figure drawing, guided by artist Kasia Hebda. Enhance your drawing skills and deepen your understanding of composition, line, mass, and texture through observational drawing with a life model. Sundays 3, 10, 17, 24 March, 4:15 - 5:45pm | PUĀWAI | $25 + $3 booking fee per class

Footnote NZ Dance are offering a free community masterclass for ages 12-18 as part of their IYKYK tour. Taught by Footnote's company dancers, you will have the opportunity to learn repertoire from the show and experience the choreographic process used to create it! Friday 22 March, 7 - 8:15pm | KAPA TAHI | Free

Footnote NZ Dance is offering an open adults masterclass as part of their IYKYK tour. Taught by Footnote's company dancers, you will have the opportunity to learn repertoire from the show and experience the choreographic process used to create it! Friday 22 March, 7:30pm | KAPA RUA | $50

Want to paint like a pro? Join Kasia Hebda, an artist and art conservator, for a five week in-depth exploration of watercolour painting techniques. Every Thursday from 22 February - 21 March, 6-8pm | MAHI TAHI | $300

The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi and Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa are bringing leaders, decision-makers, artists and creative champions together to amplify the arts, and uncover how creativity can propel us forward. These breakfast events are free, and everyone is welcome – even if you haven’t felt creative in years! Wednesday 13 March, 7:30am - 9am | PUAWAI | Free

An invitation to a musical and sensory experience: come and be re-energised by a different way of sensing the natural world. You will enter a soundscape of birdsong and live music, treasuring aromas, textures and vistas from the world around us. 5-6pm | Sunday 25 February | PUĀWAI | $25/$30 (12 and under free)

Extend your painting skills in a summer workshop with landscape painter Kelly Pearce, who shares a variety of techniques for working with oil paints. Suitable for those who have painted a little already and would like to learn more about the creative use of oils. Sunday 25 February, 9.30am-4pm | MAHI TAHI | $140

Calling all garden and art lovers! Come and explore some of the Whakatipu Basin's best gardens and art galleries, all in support of Plunket. Thursday 8 February - Sunday 11 February | Various venues around Queenstown | FREE - $100

On the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, senior weaver Rokahurihia Cameron demonstrates making paper from harakeke whītau (flax fibre). Join us for a hands-on experience. Tuesday 6th February, 1pm – 3pm | MAHI TAHI | Free, registration required.

Join Auckland based artist Prue MacDougall in her fun and quirky stone printing workshop. This will be an enjoyable way to make a keepsake from some locally sourced stone. Sunday 4 February, 2-5pm | MAHI TAHI | $45

This bookbinding workshop focuses on 2 glue-free styles of binding. In a hands-on class, you will make a simple one-fold softcover notebook and two versions of a Japanese stab-bound book. Books can then be used for sketching, writing, albums, scrapbooking and more. Sunday 4 February, 10am - 1pm | MAHI TAHI | $120

Nan Mulder is an internationally recognised expert in the mezzotint. This is a time consuming, but beautiful printmaking technique, whereby the artist scrapes and burnishes the image into a prepared ‘rocked’ copperplate, working from dark to light. Come and see Nan demonstrating her technique within the exhibition small holes in the silence. Sunday 4 February, 1.30pm | MANAAKI NUI | FREE

Join artist Catherine Macdonald for an evening of art and writing. Catherine will facilitate a discussion about artist/writer collaborations, exploring connections and fostering relationships between the writing community and the art world. Sunday 4 February, 7pm | MANAAKI NUI | Free - registration required.

A spectacular short film showcase night that supports filmmaking at grassroots levels in the Queenstown Lakes District area and beyond. From sketches, documentaries, music videos and more, this promises to be a fun night for all lovers of film. Thursday 1 February, 7:30pm - 9:45pm | PUAWAI | $5

Join us for a fun-filled, arts and craft-packed holiday programme. Led by accredited Art teacher Michelle, our bespoke, multidisciplinary arts programme will enhance and enthuse all through a range of workshops. Wednesday 10 January – Wednesday 31 January, 9:30am - 3pm | Age groups 5-7 and 8-12

Ahead of Waitangi Day, we invite you to an introduction to Te Tiriti o Waitangi over a cup of tea with local kaumatua (elder) Darren Rewi. Darren will answer questions about the Treaty, its history here in the South, and the part we all play in upholding the principles of the Treaty as citizens of Aotearoa. Wednesday 31 January, 6pm | PUĀWAI | FREE, All welcome

Te Atamira's inaugural summer group exhibition is a riot of colour and texture evoking the yarns, legends and moments of summertime in the South. Over 40 artists explore the landscapes, cultures, and histories associated with the southern region of Aotearoa in the summer. Saturday 2 December - Tuesday 30 January | MANAAKI NUI

A wonderful opportunity to hear from renowned art historian and curator Mary Kisler, on the final weekend of our exhibition Summer in the South | Raumati ki Tonga. Join us over a glass of wine and hear how our region has inspired the art of this country and beyond. Saturday 27 January 2024, 5pm | PUĀWAI | $55/$45

Curator Gina Matchitt takes us on a guided tour of the exhibition Īnakinaki, showcasing current clay, print and textile work by senior uku (clay) artist Wi Taepa and locally based multimedia artist Kristin O'Sullivan Peren. Saturday 27 January, 3:30pm | WHAKAARI | Free

Join the Free Palestine movement for a captivating evening and immerse yourself in a thought-provoking documentary that delves into the evolving landscape of Jewish attitudes towards Israel. Witness the dramatic changes and explore the far-reaching consequences for the region and Judaism itself. Tuesday 23 January, 7pm | PUAWAI | Free

Melissa Macleod's new site specific installation speaks to the surrounding geography and movement of earth. Mountains, ranges, peaks and riverbeds break down, move, slip, subside, reform - they are perpetual cycles of matter falling and building. Thursday 23 November - Monday 22 January | WHAKAARI

Extend your painting skills in a summer workshop with landscape painter Kelly Pearce, who shares a variety of techniques for working with oil paints. Saturday 20 January, 9.30am-4pm | MAHI TAHI | $140

Award-winning composer and performer Rakuto Kurano presents a concert entirely of his own works. Wednesday 17 January, 3:30pm | PUAWAI | $10 - Adults, $5 - Child

Explore the very beginning of photography by making your own 'camera obscura'. This ingenious device will create mysterious upside-down images of your world using simple materials easily found at home. Friday 12 January, 1-4pm | MAHI TAHI | $45

Start off your creative year with a mixed media painting workshop, learning how to build layers and create texture on the canvas. Saturday 6 January 1-4pm | MAHI TAHI | $120

Join us as we get into the Christmas spirit! Led by accredited Art teacher Michelle, our multidisciplinary arts programme will enhance and enthuse all through a range of workshops. Wednesday 20 December – Friday 22 December, 9:30am - 3:00pm | $30/$60 | Age groups 5-7 and 8-12

Tis the season to be jolly! Pop into Te Atamira for a range of festive fun from elf hunts to Christmas crafts to singing all your favourite hits! Come and join the fun.

Come and watch this visually spectacular ballet performed by students from Wakatipu Conservatoire of Classical Ballet. A dazzling spectacle of colour and movement for all ages. Saturday 16 December, 4pm and Sunday 17 December, 11am | MEMORIAL CENTRE | Free - $27

Join artist and qualified teacher Lisa Duncan in Term 4 to create your own unique, original, creative, and inspirational characters inspired by Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are". Fridays 3:30-4:45pm | MAHI TAHI

Come and join Dance Social in their weekly modern jive classes! Every Thursday night, 7pm (Intermediate) and 8pm (Beginner).

Come along to our Youthtown Afterschool Programme where we form a fun environment for creative learning. Mondays - Drama and Theatre Sports | Wednesdays - 3D Creative Fun | Thursdays - 2D Creative Fun | 3:30pm - 5pm

Join us for a series of creative and hands-on workshops where we explore a variety of mediums and art forms. Led by accredited art teacher Michelle, these workshops will offer a variety of ways to have fun in the Arts. Tuesdays 3:30-5pm | Ages 12-18

Join artist Raquel Carter for an 8 week exploration of landscape painting. 6-8pm Tuesday evenings 24 October - 12 December | MAHI TAHI

Join us for a fun-filled afternoon of drama and theatrical fun | Mondays, Term 4 | Ages 5-7 3:30 - 4:15pm | Ages 8-12 4:15 - 5pm | KAPA TAHI

We're here to help families access holistic support for their neurodiverse tamariki within the Whakatipu Basin. Would you like to connect with other parents and caregivers in your community? Join the Pivotal Point Parent Support Group to talk, share and listen in a supportive environment. First Tuesday of every month, 9:15 - 10:45am | TŌNUI

Dance QT's show will include a range of performances from Hip Hop, to Modern to Acro and Lyrical. Dancers from 2 years - 17 years old. Sunday 3 December, 11am-12pm and 1pm-2pm | PUAWAI | Free - $10

Hidden Identities aims to amplify the voices of marginalised communities, and shine a light on the stories that often remain hidden. These personal and sculptural artworks have been carefully crafted by artists from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to reveal hidden facets of the artists' identities. | FOYER | FREE

This is for anyone interested in trying contemporary dance classes in the Queenstown area, no experience is necessary. Sunday 5, 12, 19, 26 November, 7-8:15pm | KAPA TAHI

QAS presents a members' exhibition that celebrates all that we see around us, inside and outside, with the added invitation to imagine and portray what might exist ‘in-between’. Open daily 27 October - 25 November | MANAAKI NUI | FREE

An exploration through photographic portraits of the journey taken when settling in Aotearoa from elsewhere, away from the notion of home and in search of belonging. | WHAKAARI | FREE

Join us for a one-of-a-kind celebratory event, marking the launch of our fundraising campaign for an imaginative outdoor community space at Te Atamira. Be part of the excitement! Sunday 5 November, 10am - 4pm | TE ATAMIRA OUTDOOR SPACE

Attend a workshop with Black Grace, New Zealand's leading contemporary dance company. Friday 3 November - Sunday 5 November | KAPA TAHI | FREE - $25

Te Atamira and Black Grace present two evenings of dance especially curated by Founding Artistic Director and Arts Foundation Laureate Neil Ieremia (ONZM). Saturday 4 - Sunday 5 November | WHAKAARI

We had so much fun last time, we’re back to make a big fat Song and Dance of it…..! With a new expanded line-up, the Queenstown Party Orchestra is ready to bounce out of the gates for another fun-filled evening of very unserious orchestral music. Saturday, 4 November, 7pm | PUĀWAI

Please join us for an evening celebrating some of Wakatipu High Schools award winning Performing Arts groups from 2023 including singer- songwriters, the jazz bands and the national winners of the Theatrefest competitions. Doors open 6.30 with the event starting at 7.00pm.

Book now for this year's At the World's Edge Festival - a Chamber Music Festival in the heart of the Southern Alps. With six festival programmes weaving together between free events and community performances, come along for a powerful exploration of identity, perspectives, and cultural dimensions through the lens of classical music in New Zealand. Friday 6 October - Friday 20 October | WHAKAARI

Join artist Kasia Hebda on the creative path to learn the basics of watercolour painting. Based on botanical still life subjects, each week we will practice painting different objects ranging from fruits to flowers and foliage, creating original work during every lesson. 5 week course - every Thursday from 21 September - 19 October, 6-8pm | MAHI TAHI

Join photographer Abhi Chinniah as she walks us through her immersive exhibition A Migrant's Path. Abhi's collection of narrative portraits featuring migrant residents of New Zealand is photographed against the backdrop of Aotearoa's landscape. Saturday 14 October, 11am | WHAKAARI | FREE

Māori storytelling (pūrākau) is a way to share ideas, meaning and identity. Darren Rewi brings to life the Kāi Tahu stories illustrated in our current exhibition of art by Queenstown students. Hear the real stories of our myths and legends from a storyteller whose ancestors used to walk these hills. All ages welcome. 2-3pm Saturday 14 October | MANAAKI NUI | FREE

Immemorial features emotionally powerful works taking inspiration from the past, from Alfred Schnittke to Arvo Pärt. Many of these works profoundly influenced this year’s Composer in Residence, Victoria Kelly. Friday 13 October, 8pm | WHAKAARI | $65

This AWE+ Free Performance showcases the 2023 AWE Emerging Artists. Friday 13 October, 5pm | WHAKAARI | Free

An AWE+ Free Violin and Dance Performance reimagining Bach’s second solo violin partita, with the interspersion of modern solo violin works by NZ composers Karlo Margetić and Gareth Farr. Performed in collaboration with dance from CONJAH. Friday 13 October, 6pm | WHAKAARI | Free

The Young Musicians Session is an interactive event that gives young, local musicians the opportunity to meet, hear, and play alongside AWE Artists, truly experiencing the fullness of AWE. Friday 13 October, 3-5pm | WHAKAARI | Free

In this free workshop, this year’s Composer in Residence, Victoria Kelly, and this year’s Composer Mentor, Salina Fisher, coach local high school composers with one-on-one sessions. Friday 13 October, 1-5pm | PUĀWAI | Free

This AWE+ Free Event invites the audience to meet the AWE Festival Artists over drinks and nibbles. Friday 13 October, 7pm | WHAKAARI | Free

Experience the sights and sounds of our festival artists deep within their performance preparation. Friday 6 October and Wednesday 11 October, 2 - 6pm | WHAKAARI | Free

Launching the 2023 festival, Sono is the Portuguese word describing the cerebral feeling of wanting to be or trying to get back to sleep. Here begins the exploration of identity, with three composers defining their musical voice on their own terms. Saturday 7 October, 4pm and 7pm | WHAKAARI | $65

This AWE+ Free Performance showcases the unique musical language of two composers on opposite sides of the Atlantic, Janáček and Harbison, giving a closer look at the French Horn and a taste of what’s to come later in the festival. Saturday 7 October, 6pm | WHAKAARI | Free

Join us for a fun-filled, arts and craft-packed holiday programme. Led by accredited Art teacher Michelle and run in collaboration with Youthtown, our bespoke, multidisciplinary arts programme will enhance and enthuse all through a range of workshops. Age groups 5-7 and 8-12 | Monday 25 September – Friday 6 October, 9:30am - 3pm

Unlock the rhythmic magic of the Angklung. Join the Indonesian Community in Queenstown for a weekly Angklung workshop and immerse yourself in captivating world of this traditional bamboo instrument. Every Saturday until 30 September, 4:30 - 6pm | KAPA RUA | FREE

Queenstown Art Society and Kasia Hebda Studio invite you for another Term of our Still Life Drawing Course. 3 week course, every Wednesday from 13 September - 27 September, 6-7:30pm | MAHI TAHI

Book now for this year's Queenstown Salsa Festival hosted by Pasion Salsa. Featuring workshops with some of New Zealand and Australia's top instructors, performances, and parties, this festival is set to be a fun filled, electrifying party for dancers of all levels. Thursday 21 September - Sunday 24 September | KAPA TAHI, KAPA RUA, PUĀWAI, WHAKAARI

Chris Priestley, Cameron Bennett, Nigel Gavin and Sonia Wilson present The Unsung Heroes, telling stories from New Zealand's distant past in song. Each song is introduced with historic images, newspaper clippings and poems read by Peter Elliot. Not to be missed - Saturday 23 September, 7:30pm | PUĀWAI

Ārai Awa is an immersive video installation reflecting on the obstructed ancestral journey of tuna (eels) in the Whakatipu region. Led by Rachael Rakena and Paulette Tamati-Elliffe with a creative team including Laughton Kora, Michael Bridgman, Komene Cassidy, Tūmai Cassidy, Ross Hemera, Amber Bridgman, Iain Frengley, Arihia Latham, Donna Matahaere-Atariki and Virginia Watson.

In this series with artist Raquel Carter, you will explore basic sketching techniques and materials for portraits: acrylics, collage layering, proportions, creating form, and working with mixed media. Friday 1, 8, 15, 22 September, 5:30 - 8:00pm | MAHI TAHI

Come along to our Youthtown Afterschool Programme where we form a fun environment for creative learning. Mondays - Drama and Theatre Sports | Wednesdays - 3D Creative Fun | Thursdays - 2D Creative Fun | 3:30pm - 5pm

Join us for a series of creative and hands-on workshops where we explore a variety of mediums and art forms. Led by accredited art teacher Michelle, these workshops will offer a variety of ways to have fun in the Arts. Tuesdays 3:30-5pm | Ages 13-18

Join us for a fun-filled afternoon of drama and theatrical fun | Mondays, Term 3 | Ages 5-7 3:30 - 4:15pm | Ages 8-12 4:15 - 5pm | KAPA TAHI

Fresh from the release of Far North, David White will be visiting Queenstown for this one-off workshop where you will learn how to take your film idea through development, from a one-pager to a dynamic and compelling script. Saturday 16 September, 9am - 5pm | PUĀWAI | $25

Creative agency Osborne Shiwan is bringing TDC to Queenstown in 2023. The annual Type Directors Club Awards recognises international design excellence and typographic innovation across many languages, including te reo Māori. Friday 18 August - Wednesday 13 September | MANAAKI NUI | FREE

On the eve of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Paulette Tamati-Elliffe (Kāti Hāwea, Kāi Te Pahi, Kāi Te Ruahikihiki (Ōtākou), Te Atiawa, Ngāti Mutunga) will share her role in the revitalisation of the Māori language. Sunday 10 September, 11am | PUĀWAI

Join us to hear Tūmai Cassidy take us on a journey exploring the importance of the Ngāi Tahu Cultural Mapping Project. Saturday 9 September, 3pm | PUĀWAI

Voices Unleashed is an immersive experience in choral music, combining five choirs from our illustrious community of voices, of varying sizes and styles. Friday 8 September, 7:30pm | PUĀWAI | $35

Join artist Kasia Hebda on a five-week creative path to learn the basics of watercolour painting. Based on botanical still life subjects, each week we will practice painting different objects ranging from fruits to flowers and foliage, creating original work during every lesson. Thursdays August 10, 17, 24, 31 & September 7 | MAHI TAHI | 6-8pm

Te Atamira is excited to announce a call for submissions for our inaugural end-of-year exhibition. Submissions close Sunday 20 August 2023

Award-winning creatives Lloyd Osborne and Shabnam Shiwan discuss how type design drives culture, using examples from their own practice including design work for Karen Walker and Atamira Dance Company. This talk will fascinate anyone interested in the interplay of brand, typography and visual culture, including design professionals and students. 11am Saturday 19 August | MANAAKI NUI | FREE

In this colour and texture series with artist Raquel Carter, you will explore brushstrokes and styles of acrylic painting. basics, layering, creating form, and working with colour. | Friday 21, 28 July and 4, 11, and 18 August | 5:30pm - 8:00pm | MAHI TAHI

Wellington-based printmaker and tutor Marci Tackett brings a beautifully crafted and colourful selection of her works on paper to Te Atamira. Made over several years as an expression and processing of grief, these dynamic relief/ planographic prints, monotypes and photographic works are nonetheless full of life and explore new avenues of printmaking and colour. Opening Thursday July 20, 5.30pm – all welcome.

Queenstown Art Society and Kasia Hebda Studio invite you for a second term of their Still Life Drawing Course. 5 week block, every Wednesday starting 19 July, 6-7:30pm.

The Wakatipu High School Foundation presents an exclusive performance by the Yale Whiffenpoofs all the way from the USA and the world’s oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella group. Sunday 13 August, 5-7pm | PUĀWAI

Mark your diaries for a month of creativity and community at Te Atamira to celebrate Matariki! Free craft, art and kai events for all.

Come for an uplifting Sunday with a singing performance from well-loved local waiata group Ngā Manu Hou. Our Matariki craft sessions will also be in full swing, so bring the whole family to enjoy our final day of Matariki celebrations. Sunday 23 July, 2-3pm | FREE | PUĀWAI

Join us for a free film screening of 'Ever the Land - a People, a Place, their building'. Directed by Sarah Grohnert, this film explores the sublime bond between people and their land through a landmark architectural undertaking by one of New Zealand’s most passionately independent Māori tribes, Ngāi Tūhoe.

Join us for a free film screening of 'Te Matakite o Aotearoa - The Māori Land March'. This film is a detailed chronicle of a key moment in the Māori Renaissance: the 1975 land march led by then-79-year-old Whina Cooper.

Explore creative ways of printmaking without a press, using transparent layering of plastic templates and newsprint masks. Saturday 22 July, 10am-1pm | MAHI TAHI | $50 unwaged / $70 waged

Turumeke Harrington's installation, Tātou tātou, nau mai rā encourages us all to play, interact and consider our goals in this thoughtful exploration of space, navigation and voyaging.