Orakei Marae at Bastion Point provided the backdrop for Kiwi artists to soft-sell their work to international festival bosses yesterday.
Ngati Whatua o Orakei and Creative New Zealand hosted buyers, agents, actors and musicians as part of the Auckland Festival, and treated them to snippets from three groups including the
Auckland Theatre Company and Indian Ink.
Taki Rua Production's play Strange Resting Places - which draws stories from the Maori Battalion's experiences in Italy during World War II - was one of the featured performances.
Artistic director James Ashcroft said meeting more than 30 decision makers from Singapore, Korea, Europe, North America and Australia in your own backyard made the business of trying to attract buyers easier.
"Sometimes you compete against 150 other international acts, and no one knows you. So without badgering people or stalking them, how do you stand out? I've seen plenty of examples of how not to sell your stuff with no dignity."
While he wasn't expecting offers to flood in as a result of the meeting yesterday, that didn't mean they wouldn't in the future, Mr Ashcroft said. "This is the introduction. It doesn't mean they're going to buy your work now but what it does mean is that we can start to build a relationship."
Bringing buyers here was also a good chance for them to see the breadth of what was produced and help them understand the context in which stories were created.
Canadian Melanie Fernandez is one of the big hitters attending. She organises Toronto's Planet Indigenous, a triennial arts festival which attracts 500,000. The last festival saw Maori and Samoan contributions and she's hoping to find more talent this trip, she said.
Creative New Zealand's Carla Van Zon said artists would have a chance to pitch their work at the buyers later in the week.
