Taki Rua Productions

What Taki Rua Productions does

Taki Rua Productions is a national kaupapa Māori performing arts organisation based in Pōneke (Wellington), New Zealand, operating as an incorporated society since 1983. The company produces, commissions, and develops theatre works through a distinctively Māori lens, delivering an annual programme that typically includes a Te Reo Māori touring production for primary kura, a Tawhio Te Reo Tātarakihi tour targeting ECE-aged tamariki and whānau, a rangatahi (secondary school) tour, and a main bill production at a partner venue. Its 2026 programme comprises WAENGA (with Hurō Productions), Rere Atu Taku Poi, Kahukura Ao Lelei, and 'Not In Our Neighbourhood' at Circa Theatre; 'Rere Atu Taku Poi' won the 2025 PAYPA Production of the Year Award.

The business operates three revenue streams. The primary stream is grant funding from Manatū Taonga (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), Creative New Zealand, and Wellington City Council, all displayed as funders on the company website. The second stream is performance revenue from school bookings at NZD $10 per person with a 100-attendee minimum, community venue ticket sales, and main bill ticketing routed through Circa Theatre. The third stream is facility rental from Te Haukāinga, the company's headquarters at 274 Taranaki Street, Wellington, which offers office space (NZD $800–$900/month), meeting rooms, board room, and a 6.6 x 9.5 metre rehearsal space on hourly, half-day, full-day, and weekly rates to small organisations and freelancers. Additional revenue is generated through branded merchandise sales via a Digitees online storefront.

The company is governed by a volunteer board (Co-Chairs Adrian Wagner and Pearl Sidwell, Treasurer Roimata Tauroa, and members Jamie Ferguson and Marisa Pene) and staffed by a small operational team led by Chief Executive Craig Fransen, with Producer Paul McLaughlin, Finance & Business Coordinator Jade Te Kira, and IT Support Cohen Stephens. Distribution is direct-to-school via email and online booking forms, supplemented by community venue partnerships across 26+ regions of Aotearoa, the Circa Theatre channel for main bill productions, and organic social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify. The organisation runs the TAHI Creative Residency for Māori solo theatre-makers in partnership with TAHI Festival and maintains scholarship and award programmes (Tūngia Baker Scholarship, Te Tohu Tiketike o Taki Rua Award) to nurture the next generation of Māori performers and writers.

Name

Taki Rua Productions

Legal name

Taki Rua Productions Society Incorporated

Website

https://takirua.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Taki Rua Productions is a national kaupapa Māori performing arts organisation based in Wellington, New Zealand, producing and touring Te Reo Māori theatre works for schools, ECE centres, and main bill venues since 1983, funded by government grants, ticket sales, and facility rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts - Māori Theatre and Touring Productions

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Māori performing arts
• Te Reo Māori theatre
• School touring productions
• Community performing arts
• Arts venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Performance bookings and tickets: Taki Rua generates revenue through school and community bookings for touring theatre productions, as well as ticket sales for main bill productions at partner venues like Circa Theatre.
2. Office and venue space rental: Te Haukāinga building offers office space for small organisations and hot desks for individuals/freelancers, as well as meeting rooms and rehearsal spaces available for hourly, half-day, full-day, or weekly rental.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Taki Rua Productions produces, commissions, and develops kaupapa Māori theatre and performing arts works that tour to schools (kura), community venues, and main bill stages across Aotearoa New Zealand. The company also operates Te Haukāinga, a kaupapa Māori facility in Wellington that rents office, meeting, and rehearsal space, and runs artist development programmes such as the TAHI Creative Residency. Funding is supplemented through government arts grants and official merchandise sales.

Product overview

Taki Rua Productions is a kaupapa Māori performing arts organisation that produces, commissions, and develops theatre works through a distinctively Māori lens. The company operates a portfolio of touring productions including the annual Te Reo Māori tour for primary schools (featuring shows like 'Rere Atu Taku Poi'), the Tawhio Te Reo Tātarakihi tour targeting ECE-aged tamariki and whānau, and Main Bill Productions (such as 'Not In Our Neighbourhood'). Additional offerings include rangatahi tours for secondary schools, development tours for emerging works, the TAHI Creative Residency programme for Māori theatre-makers, and office/rehearsal space rental at their Te Haukāinga facility in Wellington. The company is an incorporated society governed by a volunteer board and has been operating since 1983.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rere Atu Taku Poi Children's theatre production in Te Reo Māori about Rangi who must lead the poi performance when the lead performer falls sick, challenging gender stereotypes around poi. Designed for primary school (kura) audiences.
• Kahukura Ao Lelei Children's play telling the story of Kahukura and Ao Lelei, a brother and sister from Aotearoa and Samoa who follow the rainbow across the Pacific searching for answers to climate change. Designed for ECE-aged tamariki and their whānau.
• Not In Our Neighbourhood Main Bill theatrical production by Jamie McCaskill, following a group of women whose lives intersect at a moment of change. Staged at Circa Theatre, Wellington, with tickets sold through Circa's website.
• Waenga Co-produced with Hurō Productions, the production follows Connie, a young wāhine caught between chasing dreams and an unexplainable visit, alongside Grayson, a junior defence lawyer. Designed for secondary school audiences.
• He Māori? One-man show by Āhaka Martyn exploring the confusion, comedy, and celebration of reclaiming Māoritanga from a Pākehā upbringing, combining stand-up comedy, waiata, and physical performance. Targeted at secondary kura audiences.
• Te Kuia me te Pūngāwerewere Original Te Reo Māori Season play adapted from Patricia Grace's beloved children's story 'The Kuia and the Spider'. Performed in Te Reo Māori, telling the story of Kuia and Pūpai the spider who must save Spider World from suburban sprawl.
• Te Haukāinga Office and Rehearsal Space Rental Rental of office, meeting, board, and rehearsal space at Te Haukāinga, a kaupapa Māori building in central Wellington. Includes Production Office (MAU NAWA) at $800/month for 3 desks or $900/month for 4 desks; board room (HE PARAKI TE ARO) at $10/hour, $25 half-day, $50 full-day, $300/week; meeting room (PUKE AHU) at $15/hour, $45 half-day, $80 full-day, $400/week; and rehearsal room (TE HAU) at $20/hour, $60 half-day, $100 one-day, $600 one-week.
• Taki Rua Merchandise Official Taki Rua Productions branded merchandise sold through the Digitees online store.
• TAHI Creative Residency (Māori theatre-maker) Creative residency for solo theatre-makers offered in partnership with TAHI Festival, with one of the two 2026 residencies specifically designated for a Māori theatre-maker in partnership with Taki Rua. Includes application and interview pathway.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2025 PAYPA Production of the Year Award - Rere Atu Taku Poi

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hurō ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'WAENGA' - a Rangatahi Tour production for high schools. Waenga follows Connie, a fiery young wāhine navigating her dreams, and Grayson, a junior defence lawyer. The production tours to Wellington, Dunedin, Timaru/Temuka, and Christchurch in March 2026.
• Circa TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Main Bill Production 'Not In Our Neighbourhood' by Jamie McCaskill, directed by Maaka Pohatu, Parekawa Finlay, and Paul McLaughlin. The production runs 22nd May - 13th June 2026 at Circa Theatre in Wellington.
• TAHI FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering Creative Residencies for Solo Theatre-Makers. TAHI Festival provides a Creative Residency for a Māori theatre-maker in partnership with Taki Rua. Expressions of Interest close 5pm January 30th 2026.
• Creative New ZealandcoreOthersNational arts funding organisation providing support for Taki Rua's operations and productions. Their logo appears on Taki Rua's website footer indicating funding relationship.
• Manatū Taonga (Ministry for Culture and Heritage)coreOthersNew Zealand Ministry responsible for culture and heritage funding. Their logo appears on Taki Rua's website footer indicating funding relationship.
• Wellington City CouncilcoreOthersLocal council providing support for Wellington-based arts organisation. Their logo appears on Taki Rua's website footer indicating funding relationship.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Massive Company: Auckland-based theatre company developing New Zealand stories and touring to schools and communities. Directly comparable in production model and target audiences.
• Indian Ink Theatre Company: New Zealand theatre company that produces, commissions, and tours original works domestically and internationally. Comparable in scale, producing model, and touring-school/community orientation.
• Circa Theatre: Wellington venue and producing theatre that hosts Taki Rua's Main Bill Productions. A peer in professional theatrical production within the same city and serves as a strategic channel partner.
• Te Pou Theatre: Auckland-based Māori performing arts company that produces and tours Māori theatre works. Directly comparable to Taki Rua in mission, kaupapa Māori lens, and touring school/community model.
• TAHI New Zealand Festival of Solo Performance: New Zealand solo performance festival partnering with Taki Rua on the 2026 Creative Residency. A peer in the live performance ecosystem with overlapping artist-development and audience-building functions.
• Tim Bray Theatre Company: Auckland-based children's theatre company producing and touring shows to schools and venues. Directly comparable in producing children's theatre with school booking channels.

Broad incumbents

• Auckland Theatre Company: New Zealand's largest professional theatre company, producing a full season of plays at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. Comparable in producing/touring infrastructure but with a broader (non-Māori-specific) repertoire.

Regional players

• Capital E: Wellington children's arts organisation producing theatre for young audiences. Comparable in targeting tamariki/ECE and primary school audiences with touring productions.
• Centrepoint Theatre: Regional theatre in Palmerston North producing a mix of original and published works. Comparable in scale and New Zealand regional producing model, though not specifically kaupapa Māori.

Emerging players

• Red Leap Theatre: Auckland-based physical theatre company producing devised works for young audiences and touring to schools. Comparable in touring-to-schools model and audience development focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/takiruaproductions
• Instagraminstagram.com/takirua
• TikToktiktok.com/@takirua_productions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taki-rua-productions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Taki Rua Productions