News & Blog
NZ Music Month, a time to celebrate!
NZ Music Month in May is a time to celebrate the important role music plays in the cultural life of Aotearoa/New Zealand, and the positive impact it can have on wellbeing, identity, and connection. By Artist Liaison Merrin Cavel. At Toi Ora, music is far more than entertainment. Through its creative arts programmes, participants come […]
Toi Ora Impact Report 2024 – 2025
We may be a small creative space, but we make a large impact Read the Toi Ora Impact Report for the financial year of 2024-25, and find stories like: A special thank you to all our funders. Thank you for creating a safe and supportive space which allows our artists to make meaningful change through […]
Welcome New Artist Liaison Merrin Cavel to Toi Ora
Merrin Cavel comes from a performing arts background, and is looking forward to helping create a space that is safe, fun and creatively inspiring. Tell us a bit about yourself and your background I come from a performing arts background, and have spent over 20 years working in support and leadership roles alongside people living […]
Toi Ora artist Mars Cook put ‘the harbour bridge in drag’
Mars Cook was behind the light installation on Auckland Harbour bridge for Auckland Pride and has been coming to Toi Ora since he was 14. What did it mean to you to create the light installation for Auckland Pride? This project was something that aligned with several of my favourite things. Multimedia, public artwork that commemorates an important event in Aotearoa’s history, […]
Free Toi Ora Art Exhibition at Queen’s Wharf
Check out a Toi Ora art exhibition at Queen's Wharf, near the downtown ferry building on until May. More than 20...
‘My art is the boat I travel on’: Reflections from a Toi Ora alumni artist
In Toi Ora’s 30th year, we caught up with an alumni artist, Sam RB, who attended Toi Ora from 2000 – 2010. Sam has kept up a consistent creative practice, which has led him to places such as the London Olympics, but more importantly, it has guided him on his path to get to know […]
Congrats: Zet wins 2025 Toi Ora t-shirt design competition
Inspired by 2024 winner Andrew Blythe and other Toi Ora artists, Zet had fun designing this year’s winning design, which features the Toi Ora façade with a big planet, Matariki stars and alien-like creatures. Learn more about Zet, their design, and their inspiration. And a big congratulations from the Toi Ora team – we love […]
Artist Spotlight: Juliet Jackson – Seeing Beyond Sight
Juliet Jackson’s art is full of colour, movement, and words. Losing her sight later in life hasn’t stopped her from creating; if anything, it’s led her to adapt and expand her artistic practice. A lifelong passion for art Juliet grew up in Auckland and studied painting at Elam before later moving into design. Her love […]
Toi Ora Director Susanne Ritzenhoff on the Seeds Podcast
Toi Ora Director Susanne Ritzenhoff sat down with Seeds podcast host Steven Moe to talk about the transformative power of creativity, how perfection can lead to inaction, and how everyone can incorporate more creativity into their day to day. Listen to their interesting conversation on the Seeds website, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. […]
Art Is Our Anchor: Creativity Transforms Lives
For over 30 years, Toi Ora has transformed hundreds of lives through the power of its creative classes. Now, with the launch of our awareness and fundraising campaign Art is Our Anchor, we are sharing Toi Ora’s impact with Aotearoa. Meet three of our artists Ross, Aelinor and Michael, with their unique stories. How they […]