Kotahitanga.

United through Creativity.

Reports of online bullying and racism have been escalating in New Zealand for a long time, and over the course of 2020, we saw this increase further as the impacts of COVID-19 began to be felt. Isolated cases and incidents of racism continue to be experienced in our region. This is not representative of the inclusive Waikato that we all believe in.

Creative Waikato wanted to design and lead a Waikato based, arts response to racism. Their aim was to begin to shape a narrative that would inform, educate, celebrate, and generate powerful conversations about Waikato being an inclusive region where we celebrate our ethnic diversity.

Creative Waikato backed by the Waikato Community Funders Group, instigated a campaign called Kotahitanga through Creativity which asked artists from the Waikato region to create works with the same sentiment as Waikato’s new Te Tatau ki Kirikiriroa sculpture, unity. From an open submission process, a total of 16 artists were selected to create eight commissioned works to be shared across the wider Waikato community.

Creative Waikato partnered with School Kit to deliver a classroom kit inspired by the Kotahitanga Exhibition, to, “encourage inclusivity, spark conversation and inspire creativity through active arts practice in the classroom environment.”