Te Tangi a Te Tūī
E kore a muri e hokia
“visually and emotionally powerful” - Stir Vancouver
An epic tale of love, loss and hope, weaving te reo Māori and cirque theatre
By Tainui Tukiwaho and Amber Curreen. A collaboration between Te Pou Theatre and The Dust Palace
2025 TOUR DATES
Tauranga, 6-7 August - Baycourt Theatre
Rotorua, 10-11 August - Sir Howard Morrison Centre
Taranaki, 14 - 15 August - TSB Showplace
Whangārei, 19 - 20 August - Forum North
Kerikeri, 22 - 23 August - Turner Centre
“Groundbreaking, majestic and spectacular” - Theatreview
He karanga nō te kainga. Pulling us heart first back to the ngāhere.
The Tūī soaks up the world around it and responds in song. Though beautiful, its tune is now a faint echo of what it once was when Aotearoa was blanketed in the ngāhere, flutes of patupaiarehe filled the trees and Māori alone walked gently upon their mother.
Te Tangi a Te Tūī invites you to experience an enchanting and empowering Māori cirque theatre work about adaptation and authenticity.This collaboration between kaupapa Māori theatre company, Te Pou Theatre and circus theatre company, The Dust Palace, is an evocative narrative of love and loss between Māori and the natural world in the face of colonial impact.
After sell out seasons in Vancouver and Tāmaki Makaurau, Te Tangi a Te Tūī is set to tour Te Ika-a-Māui this August. Proudly presented by The Dust Palace, Te Pou Theatre and PANNZ, with support from Baycourt, Sir Howard Morrison, TSB Showplace, Forum North and Turner Centre.
There will be a matinee and evening show in each centre, and kura / school groups are encouraged to contact the theatre near them to access discounted tickets.
Meet the team - some of Aotearoa’s finest cirque performers, actors, writers and creatives
Who we are
Te Pakiwaitara
The Story
Tūī soaks up the world around it & responds in song. Though beautiful, his tune now is a faint echo of what it once was when Aotearoa was blanketed in the ngāhere, flutes of patupaiarehe filled the trees & Māori alone walked gently upon their mother.
This new work brings together Kaupapa Māori & cirque theatre to create an evocative narrative of love & loss in the face of colonial impact.
Ma te huruhuru te manu ka rere.
Adorn the bird with feathers so it can fly.
Te Mahere
The Timeline
First imagined in 2011 by Te Rēhia & Dust Palace founders, this work has been waiting for its moment while both companies developed in their respective genres, honed their artistic voices and built national & international relationships.
