Breaking Ground returns for another year of intensive Indigenous new writing. Our festival has created space for bold and brilliant new works in Te Whanganui-a-Tara since its inception in 2010.

Artists are a vital part of our communities and the current landscape presents fewer and fewer opportunities for us to gather, to wānanga, and to create. The 2026 programme responds to the growing need to hold on to spaces where writers can thrive and where the iconic stories of tomorrow can be unearthed.

Breaking Ground continues to evolve, looking towards a future where we can serve the diverse creative talents of Indigenous writers. Where some of our most impactful talents can search, question, refine and craft their words.

In 2026, Breaking Ground is excited to present a number of exciting works in development from writers in Aotearoa and abroad.

Andrea James, Hone Kouka, Dr. Liza-Mare Syron, Poata Alvie McKree, Regan Taylor, Sarita Keo Kossamak So, Maarire Brunning-Kouka, Taira Dyall-Waretini, Victor Rodger

BREAKING GROUND 2026 WRITERS & DRAMATURGS

Join us in Te Whanganui-a-Tara from the 14th to the 22nd of November. Our talented lineup of writers, dramaturgs, script editors and actors are ready to share new writing as well as writing for re-development.

The 2026 programme includes:

Mapping The Self: The Solo Is Not Alone A performance workshop for solo show creation with award-winning artist Sarita Keo Kossamak So at 10AM-4PM Saturday 14th of November.

He Kōrerorero A conversation about Indigenous dramaturgy – a workshop led by Hone Kouka and Dr. Liza-Mare Syron at 10AM-1PM on Tuesday 17th of November.

Tumunu Writers Gathering Hannah Playhouse on Wednesday 18th of November from 6PM.

New Pages Presentation A rehearsed reading of newly developed works by Poata Alvie McKree and Regan Taylor at Hannah Playhouse 6PM-9PM on Friday 20th of November

Playwriting Masterclass Led by award winning writer Andrea James at Toi Aro 10AM-12PM on Saturday 21st November.

Presentation of The Black Woman of Gippsland Rehearsed Reading by Andrea James. From 2PM on Saturday 21st November. The Black Woman of Gippsland is the Winner Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting 2026 as part of the New South Wales Literary Awards 2026.

On The Edge Presentation A rehearsed reading of new works by Hone Kouka and Victor Rodger from 2PM at Hannah Playhouse on Sunday 22nd of November.

Breaking Ground 2026 is produced by Te Whanganui-a-Tara based creative company, Tawata Productions, and made possible by our partners Wellington City Council, Creative New Zealand, Hannah Playhouse, Toi Aro and Te Haukāinga.

DATE

14th – 22nd November 2026

VENUES

Toi Aro

3 Market Lane

Te Aro

Wellington

Hannah Playhouse

12 Cambridge Terrace

Te Aro

Wellington

Te Haukāinga

274 Taranaki Street

Mt Cook

Wellington

TICKETS

AVAILABLE SOON

Learn More About Our Festival Writers

Andrea James

Andrea James is a Yorta Yorta/Gunaikurnai woman and a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts. She is an experienced collaborator, playwright, producer and director and was a recipient of British Council’s Accelerate Program for Aboriginal Art Leaders.

She was Artistic Director of Melbourne Workers Theatre 2001-2008 where she is best known for her play Yanagai! Yanagai! and Director of Non Parlo Di Salo by Christos Tsialkos and Spiro Economopolous. She co-wrote Coranderrk: We Will Show The Country with Giordano Nanni for LaMama and ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, Bright World with Elise Hearst for Arthur Productions and wrote Blacktown Angels for Home Country for Urban Theatre Projects, Bukal for JUTE Theatre and Winyanboga Yurringa (inspired by Hyllus Maris and Sonia Borg’s seminal novel and television series Women of the Sun) presented by Moogahlin Performing Arts and remounted at Belvoir in May 2019.

Her works have shown throughout Australia, in the UK, Paris and New York. Most recently she wrote and directed The Black Woman of Gippsland for Melbourne Theatre Company and wrote Big Name, No Blankets in collaboration with Sammy and Anyupa Butcher, for ILBIJERRI Theatre Company. Her play, Sunshine Super Girl, based on the life of Wiradjuri tennis superstar Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, was Produced by Performing Lines and premiered in Griffith in 2020, Sydney Festival in January 2021 and a National Tour in 2022.

For Griffin Theatre she co-wrote Dogged with collaborator and friend Cath Ryan that premiered in May 2021. As Associate Artistic Director at Griffin Theatre she directed Melissa Bubnic’s Ghosting the Party, Suzie Miller’s Jailbaby, Ellen Van Neerven’s Swim and Alana Valentine’s Nucleus. In May 2021 Andrea was awarded the Mona Brand Award for women stage and screen writers and received a National Theatre Award in 2024.

In 2026 Andrea’s play The Black Woman of Gippsland was awarded Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting at the NSW Literary Awards, with judges praising it as an outstanding and extraordinary work that deftly reveals how colonial myths shape the way histories are recorded and believed. She is currently the Artistic Director of ILBIJERRI.

Hone Kouka

Hone Kouka (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kahungunu) is a father, a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, an acclaimed Māori writer, producer and director, the youngest winner of the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award and multi-award winner.

In 2022, Hone was named an Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate, receiving the Sir Roger Hall Theatre Award.

He has had plays produced in South Africa, Britain, Hawai’i, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Caledonia, as well as throughout New Zealand, with three plays being translated into French, Japanese and Russian. Hone’s plays include Ngā Tangata Toa, Waiora: Te Ūkaipō, The Prophet and Bless The Child.

In 2004, Hone co-founded the production company, Tawata Productions, focusing on the development and presentation of new theatre by Māori and Pasifika artists. Hone became a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Contemporary Māori Theatre in June 2009.

Created in 2015, Hone is the Artistic Director & Chief Executive and co-founder of Kia Mau Festival, a Māori, Pasifika and global Indigenous contemporary arts platform based in Te Ūpoko o te Ika a Māui.

Hone’s work also extends to the film industry, with two films screening at the Berlin Film Festival, Born to Dance (Screenwriter) and Mahana (Executive Producer). Hone’s earlier work across short films includes as Executive Producer for a series of successful short films including Nature’s Way, Run, The Graffiti of Mr Tupaia and Fog.

Holding governance roles, Hone is currently a board member for the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists as well as BATS Theatre and is a member of the Leadership Team for Pasifika Festivals Aotearoa.

A multi-award winning playwright, Hone’s most recent work is the 2026 landmark production, Waiora Te Ūkaipō – The Homeland.

Liza-Mare Syron

Liza-Mare Syron has family ties to the Birrbay and Worrimay people from the Mid North Coast of NSW. A theatre maker and academic, she is a founding member of Moogahlin Performing Arts, and was a key member of the company’s Co-Artistic Directorate for over ten years. Liza-Mare is currently a Co-Associate Dean, Indigenous in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, and an Indigenous Scientia Associate Professor in the School of Arts and Media at UNSW. She is widely published in the field of Indigenous performing arts and has recently published a book, Rehearsal Practices of Indigenous Women Theatre Makers: Australia, Aotearoa, and Turtle Island (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). Liza-Mare lectures on First Peoples theatre practices at UNSW TPS and at the National Institute for Dramatic Arts NIDA.

Her qualifications include a Doctor of Arts (University of Sydney), a Master of Creative Arts Research (University of Wollongong), a Master of Adult Education (UTS), a Diploma of Dramatic Art (Victorian College of the Arts), and NIDA Playwriting Studio. Liza-Mare has received the following academic awards from the Australasian Theatre and Performance Studies Association: the 2005 Phillip Parsons Prize for Performance as Research, the 2010 Marlis Thiersch Prize for research excellence in an English-language article, and a 2015 Rob Jordon award citation for a book chapter.

Her work history includes Indigenous Research Lead (Macquarie University), Indigenous Research Fellow (Macquarie University), Senior Aboriginal Arts and Culture Officer (Arts NSW), and Head of Theatre (Eora College of Aboriginal Studies). Liza-Mare has also sat on many arts and community boards and committees, including Australian Plays Transforms (2021), Australian Plays, The City of Sydney Aboriginal Advisory Committee (2013-2017), Performing Lines (2014-2018), and the Platform Papers Editorial Board (2018-2019).

Liza-Mare’s creative outputs include: directorial roles, associate — The Visitors (Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Opera House, and Moogahlin Performing Arts, 2023). The Fox and the Freedom Fighters (Performance Space 2014), Broken Glass (Blacktown Arts/Sydney Festival/Moogahlin 2018), The Weekend (Sydney Festival/Moogahlin 2019), Rainbows End (Darlinghurst Theatre /Moogahlin), and Gods Country (NIDA). In the role of producer, Liza-Mare has presented Koori Gras, a celebration of Black queer performance (Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras/Moogahlin 2017-2020), The Visitors (Sydney Festival/Moogahlin 2020), and manuwi jam ya muron (MCA/Moogahlin 2017). Liza-Mare also works as a dramaturge on various independent projects, including Nancy Dennis’s Map Boule.

Maarire Brunning-Kouka

MĀ (Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kahungunu) grew up between an inner-city warehouse flat on Ghuznee Street in Te Whanganui-a-Tara and the nearby Kapiti coast.

A self-taught rapper, singer-songwriter, producer, and a member of the Oro Ata collective, she has released two albums, Breakfast With Hades (2021) and Blame It On The Weather (2025), and featured on ‘In Tune’ by Louisa Williamson, ‘Pono’ by Mokomokai and ‘Afters’ by Troy Kingi. Along the way, MĀ has won over audiences across Aotearoa and Australia with her indigenous takes on abstract hip-hop, homespun neo soul and deep house.

In 2025, MĀ was awarded Te Tohu Kaipuoro Toa – Favourite Solo Artist at the Aotearoa Alternative Awards, followed by the Tui for Te Manu Taki Whanokē o te Tau | Best Alternative Artist at the 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards.

Poata Alvie McKree

Poata Alvie McKree (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Yurumein, Barbados) is an interdisciplinary artist (MFA) and creative arts therapist (MA CAT – Clinical). Alvie writes for live performance, facilitates group art therapy, and offers therapeutic art and movement workshops for women.

Alvie penned Hine’s monologue, He poroporoaki, for ONO – a selection of six monologues by Māori and Pasifika playwrights performed at Tahi Festival 2023 and Koanga Festival 2023, and published in ADS85 – Special Issue #85 of the Australasian Drama Studies Journal.

Her first full-length play, The Handlers, debuted at Te Pou Theatre in 2024. A subsequent production at Kia Mau Festival in 2025 earned multiple awards, including New Playwright of the Year and New Aotearoa Play of the Year at the Wellington Theatre Awards, 2025. She is currently a student in Ken Duncum’s MA Scriptwriting programme at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University, Wellington.

Regan Taylor

Regan Taylor (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pikiao) is a Wellington-based theatre maker, director, actor, tutor, writer, occasional troublemaker and all-round theatre lover. A graduate of the UCOL Theatre School, he’s been making, directing, performing and teaching theatre across Aotearoa and Australia for the past 25 years.

“My relationship with Tawata began back in 2018 when I joined the cast of Hone Kouka’s Bless the Child. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of returning to Tawata in different ways — performing, workshopping and developing new work — and it’s become a really important part of my artistic journey.”

Regan has worked with just about every kind of theatre-maker you can imagine – from emerging artists finding their feet to some of Aotearoa’s most established practitioners. He’s a regular director for Taki Rua and their Te Reo Māori seasons and Toi Whakaari – New Zealand Drama School, and is a founding member of Te Rēhia Theatre in Auckland.

It’s been a particularly busy year, with Waiora te Ūkaipō – The Homeland with Tawata Creative, creative Paepae for Waenga with Te Rākau, and somehow squeezing in a Master’s in Creative Processes along the way. He’s also currently on the boards of PAYPA NZ – Performing Arts for Young People Aotearoa, Te Rākau Hua o Te Wao Tapu Trust and Playmarket NZ.

Next up, Regan is making a new touring show with The Māori Sidesteps, releasing Resilience, the latest children’s album with The KaRs, and getting stuck into writing. He’s joining Breaking Ground to shake things up, have a play, and hopefully turn some of the many stories rattling around in his head into something worth putting on a stage.

Sarita Keo Kossamak So

Sarita Keo Kossamak So is a Cambodian New Zealand actor, writer, director, dramaturg and producer based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. A first-generation Cambodian New Zealander whose parents fled the Khmer Rouge, her work is shaped by questions of memory, cultural inheritance, diaspora and belonging. She is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School and the International Institute of Modern Letters, and co-founded I Ken So Productions with fellow artist Natano Keni in 2017, creating culturally grounded theatre and film that centres Asian and Pasifika stories and perspectives.

Her first play, Neang Neak’s Legacy, received the Best New Playwright award at the 2013 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards. She later co-wrote Riverside Kings with Natano Keni, for which they jointly received the Peter Harcourt New Playwright of the Year Award at the 2017 Wellington Theatre Awards. Her solo work Digging to Cambodia explores Cambodian identity, family, memory and diaspora. First created earlier in her career and since rewritten, it is an evolving, lifelong work that continues to grow and change alongside her own relationship to Cambodia and her cultural inheritance.

She also co-wrote O le Pepelo, le Gaoi, ma le Pala’ai with Keni, which premiered at Kia Mau Festival before being presented by Auckland Theatre Company and Auckland Arts Festival in 2024. Her screen credits include Coming Home in the Dark and Wellington Paranormal.

Across theatre and film, Sarita is interested in culturally specific ways of knowing and how they can shape not only the stories we tell, but the ways in which those stories are made.

Taira Dyall-Waretini

Taira Dyall-Waretini (Ngaati Rora, Ngaati Uekaha, Tainui-aa-whiro) is an urban rangatahi who grew up on the coast of Lyall Bay in Te Whanaganui-a-Tara. Raised in te reo Maaori his connection to the reo, whakapapa, koorero tuku iho and culture were fostered through kura kaupapa Maaori, whare waananga, waananga-a-iwi and many kaupapa Maaori.

He is an experienced cultural adviser, te reo teacher, and works with iwi and hapuu to capture koorero tuku iho and advance their aspirations.

Taira is motivated to write for other urban rangatahi and for them to see themselves reflected in his mahi and he is humbled to share company with rangatira and maatanga of the arts world for this kaupapa.

Victor Rodger

Victor Rodger ONZM Samoan (Iva), Scottish (Broughty Ferry) is an award-winning playwright and producer known for his bold and provocative works that delve into race, identity, and sexuality.

Born in Ōtautahi Christchurch to Samoan (Iva) and Scottish (Dundee) heritage, Victor has significantly influenced Aotearoa New Zealand theatre. A graduate of Toi Whakaari, Victor’s first play, Sons, premiered at The Court Theatre in Ōtautahi Christchurch after being accepted into the Australasian Playwrights’ Workshop. A revised version of Sons was subsequently produced by Taki Rua Productions, winning four Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, including Most Outstanding New Writer and Most Outstanding New Zealand Play.

Rodger has held several prestigious writing residencies, including the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence at the University of Hawaii, the Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago, and the Victoria University of Wellington / Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence at the International Institute of Modern Letters. He also completed the University of Auckland Residency at the Michael King Writers’ Centre.

As the founder of FCC (FLOW, CREATE, CONNECT), a theatre company dedicated to creating opportunities for Pasifika practitioners, Victor has produced significant works, including the award-winning The Mountaintop by Katori Hall and multi-award-winning productions of Wild Dogs Under My Skirt and The Savage Coloniser Show by 2020 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Tusiata Avia In recognition of his contributions to theatre and Pacific arts, he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2021.

Victor’s television credits include writing for Shortland Street and the Pasifika supernatural series Teine Sā: The Ancient Ones. His fiction has been published in several notable anthologies, including Black Marks on the White Page and 50 Stories for 50 Years in Aotearoa. His latest play, The Boy From Vaiala, will debut in Tāmaki Makaurau next year.

WHAKAPAPA O TE HUI AHUREI

Breaking Ground is born from Turtle Island, Canada’s Native Earth Performing Arts’ development platform Weesageechak Begins To Dance Festival, which Tawata co-directors Mīria George and Hone Kouka attended in 2009 & 2010. In 2010, Breaking Ground was presented for the first time in Te Whanganui-a-tara, Wellington, at Circa Theatre, through a partnership between Mīria, Hone and playwrights Branwen Millar and Simon Vincent.

Breaking Ground is responsive and creates focus on the development of tangata whenua, tangata moana and tangata tauiwi playwrights, as well as introducing global Indigenous playwrights to Wellington and Aotearoa New Zealand.

The whakapapa of our festival includes playwrights including Riwia Brown, Mitch Tawhi Thomas, Hone Kouka, Yvette Nolan (Turtle Island), Tammy Haili’ōpua Baker (Hawai’i Nei), Kiki Rivera (Hawai’i Nei), Nancy Brunning, Victor Rodger, Jamie McCaskill, Maraea Rakuraku, Maia Diamond, Aroha White, Hinekaa Mako, Nī Dekkers-Reihana, Tanya Muagututi’a, Grace Iwashita-Taylor, Ali Foa’i, Sean Rivera Millward, Nahyeon Lee, Miriama McDowell, Cassandra Tse, Emma Katene.

The 2026 programme sees the festival partner with Toi Aro, Hannah Playhouse and Te Haukāinga.

Andrea James, Hone Kouka, Dr. Liza-Mare Syron, Poata Alvie McKree, Regan Taylor, Sarita Keo Kossamak So, Maarire Brunning-Kouka, Taira Dyall-Waretini, Victor Rodger

DATE

VENUES

TICKETS