The inaugural Bay of Plenty Regional Pacific Arts Fono 2025 will be held on Saturday at Te Puia. Photo / Andrew Warner
The inaugural Bay of Plenty Regional Pacific Arts Fono 2025 will be held on Saturday at Te Puia. Photo / Andrew Warner
Pacific creatives will gather in Rotorua this weekend for the city’s first arts fono.
The inaugural Bay of Plenty Regional Pacific Arts Fono 2025 to be held tomorrow at Te Puia marks the final day of Samoa Language Week.
Hosted by the Rotorua Pacific Islands Development Charitable Trust, theevent creates a dedicated space for Pacific creatives to collaborate, share ideas and strengthen their artistic futures.
For the trust’s chief executive Jacqueline Pointon, it is personal.
“It’s about uplifting Pacific voices, celebrating our heritage, and creating a platform where our stories are told through our own lens.”
The fono, which means a traditional Pacific gathering, will open with a pōhiri led by mana whenua and feature a keynote address by acclaimed visual artist and storyteller Raymond Sagapolutele.
Sagapolutele, known for his work exploring Pacific identity and heritage through photography, recently completed a Creative New Zealand Pacific Arts Nature Residency in the South Island.
Also on the programme is a panel of leading Pacific creatives, including interdisciplinary artist Vaimaila Urale, award-winning film-maker Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa, and researcher and arts advocate Dr Olivia Laita, who will share insights into building sustainable careers in the creative sector.
Pointon said the event was born from a need to bring visibility and connection to Pacific artists across the Bay of Plenty, many of whom were navigating their journeys in isolation.
Chief executive of the Rotorua Pacific Islands Development Charitable Trust, Jacqueline Pointon. Photo / Supplied
“Now more than ever, we need to bring people together to build networks and celebrate Pacific excellence,” Pointon said.
“The fono is a launchpad for ongoing relationships, mentoring and collective progress.”
Workshops, networking opportunities and live performances are planned for the day, with cultural elements woven throughout, including a Samoan cultural group performance to close the event.
Award-winning film-maker Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa pictured in 2020. Photo / Supplied
Creative New Zealand’s Mana Pasifika Navigator, Erolia Ifopo, said the Rotorua fono was part of a wider national strategy to support Pacific arts communities in regional centres.
“This fono aligns with our Pacific Arts Strategy to support regional and rural communities,” Ifopo said.
“It’s about relationship and network building [va], leadership [tagata], and capability development [vaka].”
Similar gatherings across the motu have already led to artist residencies, community-led exhibitions and climate-focused arts projects, and organisers hoped the Bay of Plenty fono would spark long-term initiatives in the region.
For Pointon, the goal is to grow the fono into an annual movement that continues to empower and inspire.
“Whether you’re an artist or a supporter, you have a role in uplifting and sustaining our cultures,” she said. “Let this be the start of something bigger.”
