Te Tuhi Mareikura established an annual celebration of esteemed creative achievers of Tauranga Moana through a celebratory Awards Evening in 2022. Ngā Tohu Toi not only celebrates our creative achievers, it's also setting the standard for our future creatives to aspire to - lead by example and be the change you want to see for the future.

According to chairperson Julie Paama-Pengelly “creatives from this rohe have quietly been leading the charge to transform our visual experience of our stories and practices in ways that have gained national and international recognition. It is timely that we align these ‘stars’ within our psyche and honour them for our generations to come, and when better than our national Matariki holiday, to set our future aspirations”.

Since 2015, Te Tuhi Mareikura has been dedicated to increasing the opportunities for Māori visual stories to feature prominently in our region, by advocating and leading education initiatives for artists and audiences. A strong team of arts advocates and agencies have aligned to support an exciting showcase evening of our local creative talent with monetary awards and trophies presented by major regional supporters and sponsors.