Manu Wairere

Haere whakaparirau i a koe, haere whakamanu.
Go get yourself wings, go turn into a bird.

Manu Wairere is Māoriland’s performing arts programme for tamariki and rangatahi Māori aged 5–18.

Each week, young people explore acting, dance, voice, and stage performance in a fun, supportive, and kaupapa Māori environment at the Māoriland Hub in Ōtaki.

Whether your passion lies in performing, moving, or storytelling — Manu Wairere is the place to stretch your wings.

PAPAMAHI

Pīpī Paopao
(ages 5–8)

Wednesdays after-School
3:15 – 4:15 PM

Play-based workshops introducing tamariki to movement, voice, character and ensemble performance.

Pīrere
(ages 9–13)

Wednesdays after-School
4:30 – 6:00pm

A chance to step into dedicated rehearsals, using performance skills we’ve learnt we begin to introduce crafting scenes using Movement, Voice, Character

Manu Taiko
(ages 14–18)

Wednesdays after-School
6:15 – 7:15pm

Deeper skill-building in acting, dance, voice, devising, and stagecraft, with opportunities to collaborate and share work.

Fees Free – thanks to support from the Māoriland Charitable Trust and Creative New Zealand – Toi Aotearoa.

What to Expect

Creative workshops in acting, dance, and voice
Skills in teamwork, storytelling, and stage presence
A kaupapa Māori learning environment guided by values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and wairuatanga
End-of-term sharing/whakaaturanga for whānau and friends

Term 4 program

A PLAY – Te Kuia me Te Pūngāwerewere

celebrated by writer Patricia Grace in both reo Māori and reo Pākēhā with a performance at end of the term. There are THREE age groups to enrol into. These classes are free to attend but places are limited so be in quick.

Wednesdays starting 22nd October – 10th December

Pīpī Paopao (5-8yrs) 3:15pm – 4:15pm

Pīrere (9-13yrs) 4:30pm – 6pm

Manu Taiko (14-18yrs) 6:15pm – 7:15pm

Māoriland Hub, Ōtaki