Latest news with #TeAtamira
Otago Daily Times
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
New director from over the hill
Incoming Te Atamira director Ruth Heath, left, is taking over from Olivia Egerton on August 4. PHOTO: DAVID OAKLEY A champion of Wanaka's arts sector will now be putting her energies into Queenstown's lively arts and cultural scene. Ruth Heath, executive director of the Southern Lakes Arts Festival Trust, which delivers the popular Wanaka Festival of Colour and Aspiring Conversations, has been appointed the new director of local arts and cultural hub, Te Atamira. She takes over on August 4 from influential founding director Olivia Egerton, who has put the Remarkables Park centre on the national radar since setting it up three years ago. Heath has accumulated a depth of experience in arts leadership, community engagement and festival organisation, and has a strong belief in the power of the arts to connect, uplift and strengthen communities. Te Atamira co-chair Kevin Bouchier says they're impressed by her ability to extend access to the arts, develop and grow new audiences and deliver a dynamic programme reflecting the community. Heath is part of Creative New Zealand's new new-leaders programme, is on the board of Wanaka's Mount Aspiring College and is co-owner of Wanaka's The People's Bread Co. Bouchier says Heath's commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tikanga and manaakitanga also resonated with the board. "We are excited for what lies ahead under Ruth's leadership and invite our community, artists, partners and friends to join us in extending a warm welcome and our full support." Heath says she's delighted to be joining "a special team at a special place". Te Atamira is an exciting creative hub, and I look forward to working with artists, partners and the people of the Whakatipu to continue the beautiful mahi Olivia and the team have begun — shaping a place that inspires, reflects and supports the rich arts and cultural life of this region, for all of the community."
Scoop
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Te Atamira Announces New Director
Following a six-month search which received a high calibre of applicants from across Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally, we are delighted to announce that Ruth Heath will be the new Director of Te Atamira, from Monday 4 August. Ruth Heath brings a depth of experience in arts leadership, community engagement, and festival presentation. She has worked across Te Waipounamu South Island in roles spanning creative direction, producing, governance, community development, education, and events. Her cross-sector experience is grounded in a strong belief in the transformative power of the arts to connect, uplift, and strengthen communities. Ruth is currently Executive Director of the Southern Lakes Arts Festival Trust, home to the much-loved Wānaka Festival of Colour | Te Kaupeka Rau and Aspiring Conversations. Known for her thoughtful and collaborative leadership style, Ruth is committed to creating platforms for diverse voices and creative exploration. Te Atamira Board Co-Chair Kevin Bouchier says the Board was deeply impressed by Ruth's proven ability to expand community access to the arts, develop and grow new audiences and deliver a dynamic programme that is unique and reflects the community. Recently recognised by Creative New Zealand's New Leaders programme, Ruth's commitment to the Queenstown Lakes District community is demonstrated through her roles as a Board Member at Mount Aspiring College and business owner of The People's Bread Co in Wānaka. 'Ruth's strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tikanga, and manaakitanga - principles that sit at the heart of Te Atamira's values - particularly resonated with us. On behalf of the Board and team, we are excited for what lies ahead under Ruth's leadership and invite our community, artists, partners and friends to join us in extending a warm welcome and our full support,' says Bouchier. 'I'm delighted to be joining a special team at a special place. Te Atamira is an exciting creative hub, and I look forward to working with artists, partners, and the people of the Whakatipu to continue the beautiful mahi Olivia and the team have begun - shaping a space that inspires, reflects and supports the rich arts and cultural life of this region, for all of the community,' says Ruth Heath. Ruth is part of the inaugural cohort of Creative New Zealand's New Leaders Programme, alongside 25 arts leaders from across Aotearoa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Canterbury and a Certificate in Creativity from The Learning Connexion – School of Creativity and Art. Ruth is based in Wānaka where she lives with her husband Jeremy and their four children.
Otago Daily Times
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Epic films' special guest
A promotional image for Vincent Ward's Rain of the Children. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Whakatipu residents get a unique opportunity next week to see two iconic films by internationally-acclaimed Kiwi film-maker Vincent Ward — and then engage with him in Q&A sessions. Auckland-based Ward's Rain of the Children screens next Tuesday at Queenstown's Te Atamira at 6.30pm, then Vigil screens at Arrowtown's Dorothy Browns on Wednesday at 5.45pm. He's being brought to Queenstown by Milford Galleries, which next Saturday hosts the launch of his unique photography exhibition, 'Palimpsest', featuring photos of human bodies he's painted. Ward calls Rain of the Children, released in 2008, "sort of my favourite, because it's got such a personal connection to the people in it". It came 30 years after a documentary, In Spring One Plants Alone, about his experience living in the remote Urewera Ranges with an elderly Maori woman, Puhi, who was caring for her adult schizophrenic son, Niki. Rain of the Children sees Ward return to the area to explore who Puhi — played by Rena Owen — was. She'd been chosen, aged 12, by Tuhoe prophet Rua Kenana — played by Temuera Morrison — to marry his son. At 14, with their baby, she escaped from the 1916 police raid on Rua's community, in which he was arrested. She subsequently had another 13 children — when Ward stayed with her, Niki was her last remaining. Radio New Zealand called the movie "one of the most moving films to come out of NZ cinema". Meanwhile, Vigil, released in 1984, was the first film by a New Zealand director to be officially selected 'in competition' at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation. It follows 11-year-old Toss, who navigates grief, isolation and change in a remote, primeval valley — it's said to be partly autobiographical as Ward grew up on a farm in the Wairarapa. He says it's "about an imaginative way of seeing the world — these kids that are a little bit isolated live in their own heads and come up with almost an alternative reality to try and understand what's going on". To celebrate Vigil's 40th anniversary last year, former child actor Fiona Kay, who played the central role — "and was compared by the Los Angeles Times to one of the great silent film stars" — was brought over for a screening at Wellington's Embassy Theatre, and the producer appeared for another. "And then Queenstown gets me," Ward quips.
Otago Daily Times
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Printmaker's poignant homecoming
Te Atamira exhibitor Vanessa Edwards. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A prominent Māori printmaker has dedicated an exhibition at Queenstown's Te Atamira to her mother, who died in a Kingston Rd car crash when her family lived in the resort. Whanganui-based Vanessa Edwards, who helped found Toi Whakaata Māori Print Collective in 2006, says she moved from Perth to Queenstown with her Māori father Neil Edwards, 'southern' mother Debra Louise, from Wyndham, and older brother in the early 1980s, when she was 3. She recalls attending Queenstown Primary — "I thoroughly enjoyed school, the outdoor education was amazing" — and she was also into art. Her parents managed the Pinewood backpackers lodge and her mum started Queenstown's first nail salon, Elegant Nails. In March 1992 her mother died in that car crash, aged 35, and is buried in the Frankton cemetery — "it was really sad for us," Vanessa says. After year 7 at Wakatipu High she left with her dad and brother for Taumaranui in the North Island. "It was a massive cultural shock for me and my brother because we realised what being Māori was as we moved in with our Māori grandparents." Vanessa later trained at art school in Whanganui, majoring in printmaking — she later completed a masters in Māori visual arts at Massey University. She says she decided to exhibit in Queenstown because she's noticed Te Atamira's "already had some powerful print shows, and there's not many places that advocate for printmaking". "I've returned to honour my mother with this beautiful exhibition" — 'karanga atu, karanga mai', or 'calling outward, calling inward'. Also exhibiting are three other collective members, Alexis Neal, Jasmine Horton and Tessa Russell. Officially opened last Saturday, the exhibition runs till September 22.
