World Buskers Festival welcomes Māori and Pacific performers for historic first

The streets of Ōtautahi Christchurch will soon transform into the biggest stage for performers from Aotearoa and around the globe as the World Buskers Festival returns for 2025.

The festival promises a diverse range of shows, including both ticketed and free events.

For the first time in the festival’s 30-year history, curated Māori and Pacific performances will be featured.

Tanya Muagututi’a MNZM, a New Zealand-born Sāmoan and co-founder of Pacific Underground (PU), is the festival’s new Pacific curator.

Muagututi’a emphasises the importance of endorsing the relationship with “our tangata whenua cousins”, given the historic nature of this inclusion.

“We're right beside there, supporting the Māori artists and the Māori curator, really supporting that kaupapa because that’s massive, that’s awesome.

“For me, it's just really thinking deeply about how we can be involved. This being the first time, it's sort of like, well, let's just see how this goes, how we can slot in and what we can do from here on in.”

Tanya Muagututi'a MNZM. Photo/WORD Christchurch

Muagututi’a has vast experience in various roles as an artist, including directing, producing, and curating events from the grassroots level to major stages in Aotearoa, such as the PU’s Pacific Arts Festival of Christchurch from 2001-2010.

Before the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the World Buskers Festival was usually held on the weekend before the PU arts festival. Since then, the support and participation of Pacific arts events have waxed and waned.

The World Buskers Festival will run from 24 January to 2 February. Over 330 acts (50 of which are ticketed) will dazzle, wow, and entertain audiences across 10 venues and pitches in the heart of the city.

Muagututi’a says this platform allows our indigenous storytellers to shine, and the artists involved are “keen as” to get started.

“I've always loved the Buskers Festival and always really respected that art form of street performance. You make what you earn, you sing for your supper. We're not new to that kind of thing, in terms of our performance, it's really storytelling-based.

“When it comes from Pasifika and Māori, it's in our bones, it's in our history, it's already there. So this platform being an international platform is just elevating that and inviting these artists to come through and just have a go.”

Street art by Meep. Photo/NZ Street Artists Facebook

A highlight of the festival is a show called The Shift, presented by Summer Studios, a dance space for women. This powerhouse cast blends contemporary, cultural, and commercial dance to evoke emotion and connect with audiences.

Summer Studios Creative Director Summer Lloyd co-created the project with Pule Siva.

“Our show is about celebrating the transformation or shift in perspective when it comes to culture, stereotypes, mindsets, and power,” Lloyd says.

Pule Siva and Summer Lloyd of Summer Studios Christchurch. Photo/World Buskers Festival

“We have mostly Māori and Pasifika women who come from all walks of life. Being a part of the festival is a huge step for us, it’s very exciting and great for our women who have worked so hard.”

A street art activation is also planned, with local urban artists Meep, Monti, Drows, and Whiro bringing creative energy and spray paint.

Two groups from Tāmaki Makaurau will cross Te Moana o Raukawa or the Cook Strait for the festival: No.3 Roskill Theatre and Wahine Toa Siva Afi.

At the heart of No.3 Roskill Theatre is a diverse group of creatives - Pasifika, queer, straight, faith-based, agnostic, and fabulous storytellers - who bring captivating tales from the hood to the stage. Performing a new spin on their annual outdoor devised theatre show, Welcome Home, in their first appearance outside of their hometown.

Something that will really spark an interest among audiences will be the roaring fires of the Wahine Toa Siva Afi company. Having banded together in 2020 to ignite the passion within and embrace a craft dominated by men, this all-women’s ailao afi (Sāmoan fire dance) is set to light up the streets of Christchurch.

Muagututi’a says she put a lot of thought into curating the inaugural Pacific lineup, aiming to capture the festival's “young and energetic” nature.

“Really excited to feature Pasifika artists from local groups Summer Studios and from the Flare Festival Meep, Monti, Drowes and Whiro. They'll bring great Pacific, contemporary flavour to the festival as well as those coming from Auckland who I've programmed before.

“No.3 have presented free outdoor theatre shows in Mount Roskill since 2021, and Wahine Toa Siva Afi come from being mentored at the Siva Afi Festival in Auckland and were also featured at the World Choir Games last year.

“I don't try to put too much expectation on what the audience will take away. There's always a hope that they'll have a better understanding of who we are and just really appreciate what we have to offer. I think it's the part about it being a world platform, an international platform and that we're part of that.”

Tickets to different World Buskers Festival events can be found here.