Te Kura Maninirau: Aotearoa’s first kaupapa Māori circus school

Te Kura Maninirau is Aotearoa’s first kaupapa Māori circus school and exists to make circus arts approachable for tangata whenua through a kaupapa Māori pedagogy. Through a combination of recreational classes and professional development for creatives, the kura aims to provide an alternative option for whānau that is local, fun and active, and create pathways for Māori into the art form.

The development of a Māori -accessible tuition framework spearheaded by Tainui Tukiwaho (Te Pou Theatre) and Eve Gordon (The Dust Palace) offers rangatahi a culturally safe environment to learn the extraordinary physical skills and confidence that circus arts have to offer.

“Our vision is to change the face of circus arts in Aotearoa by centering tangata whenua within circus arts tuition.” – Rachael Dubois

Te Kura Maninirau is a joint venture between Te Pou Theatre, the home of Māori theatre based in Corbans Estate in Henderson, and The Dust Palace, the largest and most established circus theatre company and school in Aotearoa. Both organisations have been training and fostering youth in performance and circus arts for over 15 years.

Sunday morning classes are currently running, offering 2 hours of weekly circus arts training to 28 tamariki and rangatahi aged between 7 – 14. A Whānau Circus Arts Day in early 2024 will offer a fun, active and educational event for whānau in West Auckland. It will introduce 250 people to this kura and refresh enrollments for classes in 2024. Attendees can do taster workshops in circus arts and see current students perform.

Both classes and Whānau Circus Arts Day will be hosted at Te Pou Theatre in Corbans Estate, Henderson.

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