Difficult economy dashes plans for popular indigenous arts festival

Originally published by Māori Television The popular Toi Kiri: Indigenous Arts Festival won’t return this year after all. Instead, the festival, which celebrates traditional body marking from around the world, will wait until 2026. Mount Maunganui was to host the October event, but organisers say the difficult economy has dashed their plans.

“The current funding environment presents challenges in delivering the high-quality, large-scale event that artists, communities, and audiences have come to expect.”.