Tāwhiri

What Tāwhiri does

Tāwhiri (legal entity: New Zealand Festival of the Arts Trust) is a Wellington-headquartered charitable company founded in 1986 that produces and operates flagship arts festivals and events across Aotearoa New Zealand. Its core products are the biennial Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts (running since 1986, marking 40 years in 2026), the annual Wellington Jazz Festival (since 1996), and the biennial Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest (since 1956, celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2026). The organisation also runs Tāwhiri Warehouse, a 1000m² flexible venue with 408 retractable seats inside the Te Whaea complex in Newtown, available for hire for rehearsals, workshops, and performances from 2026, and Tāwhiri Workshop, a set-design and scenic construction service established in the 1990s.

The company's revenue model is hybrid and event-driven: ticket sales processed through Ticketmaster and iTICKET for festival programming; quote-based venue hire at Tāwhiri Warehouse; professional services revenue from Tāwhiri Workshop for external clients including World of WearableArt, Wellington Opera, Live Nation, GMG Productions, and Auckland Theatre Company; and a Culture Club recurring giving programme at NZ$5 per month. Core operational funding is provided by Wellington City Council (Core Partner) and Creative New Zealand (Core Funder), with supplementary grants from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board, Lion Foundation, and Grassroots Trust Central. Marketing is conducted via organic social channels, an email newsletter, and the WellingtonNZ destination-marketing partnership.

In 2024 Tāwhiri engaged more than 700 artists and crew and attracted more than 500,000 attendees across its programmes. Governance sits with a Board of Trustees chaired by Sarah Kemp and includes cultural, legal, and arts-sector leaders; Executive Director Angela Green leads operations with 25 years of sector experience, supported by Festival Co-Director Dolina Wehipeihana (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Raukawa), a 2021 Te Waka Toi award recipient, alongside heads of programming, audience and partnerships, technical production, finance, and a dedicated Pou Ārahi Māori role.

Name

Tāwhiri

Legal name

New Zealand Festival of the Arts Trust

Website

https://tawhiri.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tāwhiri (New Zealand Festival of the Arts Trust) is a Wellington-based charitable company producing flagship Aotearoa arts festivals, operating the Tāwhiri Warehouse venue hire business, and providing Tāwhiri Workshop set-building services to the arts sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticketed events across multiple festivals including Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Wellington Jazz Festival, and Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest. Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster and iTICKET platforms.
2. Venue Hire - Tāwhiri Warehouse: Hire fees for the 1000m2 warehouse-style venue space in Newtown, available for rehearsals, workshops, performances, and creative activities. Hire rates depend on requirements, purpose, and length of booking.
3. Workshop Services: Set building and staging hire services provided to external clients including World of WearableArt, Wellington Opera, Live Nation, GMG Productions, and Auckland Theatre Company.
4. Government and Trust Funding: Core operational funding from Wellington City Council (Core Partner) and Creative NZ (Core Funder), with additional support from Lion Foundation, Grassroots Trust Central, and New Zealand Lottery Grants Board.
5. Culture Club Regular Giving: Monthly giving programme called 'Culture Club' where supporters contribute $5/month to support events and festivals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tāwhiri is an award-winning charitable company that produces some of Aotearoa New Zealand's most iconic arts festivals and events, including the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Wellington Jazz Festival, and Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest. It also operates Tāwhiri Warehouse (a 1000m² venue space for hire) and Tāwhiri Workshop (set design, build, and hire services for external arts clients).

Product overview

Tāwhiri is an arts festival and events production company operating as a multi-product platform. The company delivers three flagship festivals (Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts since 1986, Wellington Jazz Festival since 1996, and Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest since 1956), supplemented by venue hire through Tāwhiri Warehouse and creative production services via Tāwhiri Workshop. The company also produces special events such as Light Cycles by Moment Factory. In 2024, the company engaged over 700 artists and crew and attracted more than 500,000 attendees across its events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts: Biennial arts festival featuring dance, music, theatre, literature and more, held in Wellington since 1986
• Wellington Jazz Festival
• Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest
• Tāwhiri Warehouse
• Tāwhiri Workshop

Products and services

• Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts Biennial performing arts festival held in Wellington since 1986, bringing together the best of Aotearoa and the world's performing arts. The programme features free and ticketed events spanning dance, music, theatre, whānau experiences, toi ataata, literature and more. The 2026 festival marked 40 years of the event.
• Wellington Jazz Festival Annual music festival established in 1996, featuring leading homegrown musicians and international artists. Transforms Wellington into a jazz haven with over 200 events across 50 venues (2025 edition).
• Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest Biennial singing competition established in 1956, Aotearoa's premier Puoro whakaari singing competition and a vital platform for young singers.
• Tāwhiri Warehouse 1000m² warehouse-style venue space in Newtown at the Te Whaea complex, available to hire for rehearsals, workshops, and performances. Features 38m x 35m floor dimensions, 9m ceiling height at the centre apex (6m at outer walls), mezzanine floor with kitchenette, theatrical drape stock, performance PA, trussing, stage hoists, and modular retractable seating with 408 seats.
• Tāwhiri Workshop Set design, building, and hire service established in the 1990s, producing sets for Tāwhiri's own festivals and external arts clients including World of WearableArt, Wellington Opera, Live Nation, GMG Productions, and Auckland Theatre Company. Supports development of young professionals passing on mātauranga for scenic construction.
• Light Cycles by Moment Factory Multimedia light installation experience by award-winning Canadian studio Moment Factory, held at Wellington Botanic Garden. Features light installations, soundscapes, and digital art. Attracted more than 31,000 visitors during the 2024 Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000+ people experienced Tāwhiri events in 2024 alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wellington City CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCore Partner providing municipal support and funding for Tāwhiri's festivals and events. Wellington City Council took ownership of the Te Whaea site in 1996 and supports the Tāwhiri Warehouse development through Studio Pacific Architecture and capital investment.
• WellingtonNZcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCore Partner providing destination marketing and visitor promotion support for Wellington arts events and festivals.
• OctavecoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital Partner providing technology services to Tāwhiri. Octave is listed as a digital partner supporting the organization's digital presence.
• BERLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch Partner providing research and economic analysis support to Tāwhiri.
• Studio Pacific ArchitecturecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm that provided expertise in the original scoping of Tāwhiri Warehouse and continues to support the building and construction phase of the venue transformation project.
• Make Strategy HappenminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting partner that provided expertise in the original scoping of Tāwhiri Warehouse and supported the building and construction phase of the venue transformation project.
• Moment FactorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning Canadian multimedia studio that collaborated with Tāwhiri to produce Light Cycles for the 2024 Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. This was a major event extension featuring light installations, soundscapes, and digital art in the Wellington Botanic Garden, enjoyed by more than 31,000 people.
• World of WearableArtminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal client for Tāwhiri Workshop set building services. World of WearableArt is a major arts organization producing the annual WOW Awards Show.
• Wellington OperaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal client for Tāwhiri Workshop set building and construction services.
• Live NationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal client for Tāwhiri Workshop set building services. Live Nation is a major live entertainment company.
• GMG ProductionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal client for Tāwhiri Workshop set building services.
• Auckland Theatre CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal client for Tāwhiri Workshop set building services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Sydney Festival: A major annual multi-arts festival in the broader Asia-Pacific region. Comparable as a multi-arts festival producer operating at a larger scale in an adjacent market, useful as an international benchmark for programming, sponsorship, and audience scale.

Direct peers

• Auckland Theatre Company: NZ's largest professional theatre company and an external client of Tāwhiri Workshop for set construction. Comparable as a producing theatre company that co-exists with Tāwhiri in the NZ performing arts ecosystem, sharing venue and talent relationships.
• Wellington Opera: A Wellington-based performing arts company that is both an external client of Tāwhiri Workshop (set building) and a co-producer of opera in the same Wellington arts ecosystem. Comparable as a charitable arts producer sharing venue and audience infrastructure with Tāwhiri.
• Auckland Arts Festival (Toi Whakaari o Tāmaki Makaurau): Auckland's premier biennial performing arts festival — the most direct NZ peer to Tāwhiri's Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts. Both are NZ charitable organizations producing multi-week festivals of dance, music, and theatre in major NZ cities, competing for national arts audiences and Creative NZ funding.
• World of WearableArt (WOW): An iconic NZ arts event producer (the annual WOW Awards Show) and external client of Tāwhiri Workshop for set design. Comparable as a Wellington-region arts event producer sharing workshop, venue, and audience infrastructure with Tāwhiri.

Regional players

• Circa Theatre: A long-established Wellington theatre producing its own season of work. Comparable as a Wellington venue-based arts producer sharing audiences, talent, and the Wellington cultural infrastructure with Tāwhiri.
• BATS Theatre: A Wellington-based performing arts venue and producer. Comparable as a Wellington venue/arts producer competing for mid-size audiences and serving as a peer venue/hire option alongside Tāwhiri Warehouse.

Broad incumbents

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe: The world's largest arts festival — an international analog to Tāwhiri's flagship Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts in scale, programming breadth, and biennial-format performing arts festival model. Useful as a global peer for festival IP development and operational scale.
• Royal New Zealand Ballet: A national ballet company based in Wellington that operates in the same performing arts ecosystem as Tāwhiri. Both share venues, audiences, and the Creative NZ funding ecosystem; Sarah Kemp (Tāwhiri Chair) has governance experience with RNZB.
• New Zealand Symphony Orchestra: A national performing arts institution and Wellington-based organization sharing audiences, venues, and Creative NZ funding with Tāwhiri. Comparable as a national-scale arts charity with a national touring mandate overlapping with festival programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tawhiri-festivals-and-experiences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tāwhiri