Māori and Pasifika performers to represent festival ‘unique to Ōtautahi’
New acts have been added to the World Buskers Festival 2025 lineup with a focus on curated Māori and Pasifika performances, promising a diverse lineup that is unique to Ōtautahi Christchurch.
Māori performer Kahuraki – The Prince of Purple, will join the local busker line up for the first time when the 10-day festival kicks off in Christchurch on January 24.
Ōtautahi-born Kahuraki Bronsson-George, (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Waitaha, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau ā Apanui) has been performing since he was five, and in the circus world since he was 16.
“My first indoor theatre show ’Iti Kahuraki,’ which I made in 2019, was the first time I actively combined circus disciplines with te ao Māori. The World Busker's Festival will be first time I am bringing te ao Māori to a street show,” Kahuraki says.
The Aranui local incorporates te ao Māori into his solo circus show, including language, skills and games for the family to enjoy.
“It is important for me to represent te ao Māori and represent it correctly in the eyes of my whānau, my hapū, my iwi and in the eyes of all those who have less life privilege than I do,” he says.
The festival’s Māori curator Savanah Tukariri (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Mutunga) brings 20 years’ experience with kapa haka. She has worked on projects with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and has presented works for TinyFest, WHAO Fest and Te Whare Tapere o Waitaha.
She says it’s not just about incorporating more Māori acts into the programme this year. “It’s about embedding our Ngāi Tahu narrative into the festival, incorporating te reo me ōna tikanga, and providing cultural context about the festival’s performance locations.
“We aim to create a sense of manaakitanga that’s felt throughout the festival, making it an experience that is uniquely special to Ōtautahi,” Tukariri says.
Pacific curator Tanya Muagututi’a brings 30 years of experience working with Pacific artists and shows through Pacific Underground, including presenting the Pacific Arts Festival of Christchurch from 2001 to 2010, and is thrilled to bring a range of Pacific performers to the World Buskers Festival stage.
“I’m excited to offer this platform to our performers and for us to contribute to a festival that is about representing Christchurch but also representing different parts of the world.
“We have a long history of performance here in Christchurch. It’s all about celebrating who we are, our identity. Who we are in this city, in Aotearoa, in this land and in this region and in support of our tangata whenua cousins,” Muagututi’a says.
Creative Director of Summer Studios dance studio in Christchurch, Summer Lloyd, is excited to bring their show, The Shift, co-created by Lloyd and Pule Siva, to the festival.
“Our show is about celebrating the transformation or shift in perspective when it comes to culture, stereotypes, mindsets, and power.
“We have mostly Māori and Pasifika women who come from all walks of life. Being a part of the festival is a huge step for us, it’s very exciting and great for our women who have worked so hard,” Lloyd says.
World Buskers Festival Director Pitsch Leiser says they are delighted to have Tukariri and Muagututi’a on board as co-creators “Savanah and Tanya bring a world of experience and knowledge that is integral to developing the uniqueness of the festival in Ōtautahi. It is the generosity and hospitality of Cantabrians and the Kai Tahu manaakitanga that creates that uniqueness and why buskers and audiences come here for the World Buskers Festival.
“Savanah and Tanya have put together an awesome programme that includes feature ticketed events, busking and free shows. Watch out for interactive poi performances, pop-up kapa haka, Siva Afi (fire dance), street theatre and storytelling, and more,” Leiser says.
ENDS
A list of performers and bookings for the ticketed events are now available at www.worldbuskersfestival.co.nz
