Tāwhiri is an award-winning charitable company that produces some of Aotearoa’s most iconic arts events including the Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts, Wellington Jazz Festival, and the Lexus Song Quest in association with the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation.
We also deliver major one-off major events for Wellington, including Light Cycles by Moment Factory (2024), the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (2000, 2016) and Digital Nights: Van Gogh Alive (2020).
In 2024 alone over 700 artists and crew were engaged across Aotearoa and overseas. More than 500,000 people experienced our events and we saw high audience satisfaction across the board.
Tāwhiri’s festivals and events bring energy and creativity to Wellington, making it a place people are proud to call home - and love visiting.
We also provide creative services and infrastructure for the arts sector through the Tāwhiri Warehouse and Tāwhiri Workshop.
Our Board of Trustees
Sarah Kemp
Tāwhiri Chair
Sarah Kemp has a background in law and business consulting across the public and private sectors, specialising in organisational design, business improvement and managing large-scale change initiatives. In the creative sector, she has worked with Tāwhiri, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, World of WearableArt, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Park Road Trust and New Zealand Film Commission and as a trustee has sat on the New Zealand School of Dance Trust and Te Whaea Services Trust boards.
Her Worship, Tory Whanau Mayor of Wellington
Susan Freeman-Greene
Allan Frost
Mele Wendt MNZM
Ben Ngaia Te Āti Awa
Dr Nicola Ngawati Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine
Annabel McCallum
David Inns
Our Directors
Angela Green
Executive Director
Angela is a seasoned festival producer and arts leader with 25 years of experience in the Aotearoa New Zealand arts sector. She has collaborated with many of the country’s most celebrated artists and companies and has overseen programming at Q Theatre in Auckland, building on her early experience at Downstage Theatre in Wellington.
Her international festival expertise spans over a decade, beginning at Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival and, from 2018, as Head of Programming and Deputy Executive Director at Tāwhiri, where she led both the Programming and Finance teams. Angela holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Auckland and is a 2002 graduate of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, where she trained as an actor.
Dolina Wehipeihana
Festival Co-Director
Dolina Wehipeihana (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Raukawa) is a distinguished producer, arts manager, choreographer and performer, with previous roles including Head of Programming at Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki|Auckland Arts Festival and General Manager of Kia Mau Festival. A co-director of Betsy & Mana Productions that advances Indigenous storytelling and contemporary Māori performance arts; she joined the PANNZ (Performing Arts Network New Zealand) team as Kaiārahi Māori | Director, Māori in 2020 and is currently Board Co-chair of Atamira Dance Company, of which she was a founding member in 2000. In 2021 Dolina was recognised with the Te Waka Toi award Ngā Tohu Hautūtanga Auaha Toi | Making a Difference Award, honouring her outstanding leadership and contribution to the development of new directions in ngā toi Māori.
Tama Waipara MNZM
Festival Co-Director
Tama Waipara (Ruapani, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou) is the Chief Executive/ Artistic Director of Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival in Gisborne. A staunch advocate for the arts, Tama is a Board member of The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Deputy Chair of the Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust Group. A multi-award-winning composer, singer/songwriter, musician and performer, Tama was recently awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to Māori music.
Sasha Gibb Head of Programming
Amy Dewes Head of Audience & Partnerships
Paul O'Brien Head of Technical & Production
Margot van de Water Head of Finance & Business Operations
Get in touch
If you’ve got any questions or enquiries - feel free to get in touch, we’re here to help.