Opening Night Drinks with the Creatives

We invite you to celebrate the official opening of our inaugural Story Worlds festival with an evening of storytelling, music, and creative connection. Join us from 7pm on Friday 11 September in the Puke Ariki Foyer as we transform the space into a vibrant, collaborative hub.

Experience the Story Worlds themes in action—Language as Living, Ecology as Becoming, and Participation as Creation—brought to life through a live reading by Holly Shanahan, a performance by the Lalaga Youth Ambassadors, and original music by local group Hamish Cameron and Friends.

Enjoy drinks, nibbles, and the shared joy of story, song, and community.

Spend Opening Night immersed in the arts on Friday the 12th of September with a special deal – purchase a bundle ticket for both the Opening Night Drinks with the Creatives, and Writing the Trail: Northbound with Naomi Arnold for only $45 (save $10).

Or book with a friend group of four, and get another ticket free (limited availability).

Performer information:

Lalaga Youth Ambassadors

The Lalaga Youth Ambassadors are a collective of Taranaki-based young creatives that has emerged as an integral part of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery's Lalaga Project. Rooted in their connections to Pasifika cultures and community, they explore collaboration, heritage arts, interdisciplinary practice and the role youth play in shaping inclusive, diverse communities. Through mentorship, creative development, and partnerships with cultural and educational institutions, they are shaping new models of engagement—amplifying youth voices and expanding possibilities for how the arts can enrich communities and careers, both within and beyond the cultural sector.

Holly Shanahan

Born in Ōtautahi and raised in Taranaki, Holly is a performer, acting coach, agent, director, maker of theatre and films, and writer. Holly has written in various forms across her whirlwind creative life, including plays and short films, and in 2024 began a journey to share her poetry in slam. She was the winner of the 2024 Winter Fest Poetry Slam and the 2025 WOMAD poetry slam, as well as a finalist in the NZ National Poetry Slam. Creatively inspired by all art forms, she seeks to combine the innate lyrical truths of poetry with a love of rhythm, the modern world experience, and the playful possibilities of words.

Hamish Cameron and Friends

Hamish Cameron is a renowned Taranaki-based multi-instrumentalist known for his genre-blurring soundscapes and magnetic live energy. Performing with his stellar band, he will debut new, soon-to-be-released material at Story Worlds. Expect an immersive set blending folk, experimental pop, and layered harmonies from one of Aotearoa’s most exciting emerging acts.

ABOUT THE STORY WORLDS FESTIVAL

Story Worlds is a new festival that invites audiences to experience storytelling as a rich, interconnected practice—through the written word, material culture, and oral traditions. Explore the programme, which stretches across Puke Ariki Museum, Libraries, and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre for four days of sessions that celebrate storytelling in all its forms and honour the ways stories help us make sense of ourselves, each other, and the world we share.

At Puke Ariki accessibility is very important to us. We want everyone in the community to be able to enjoy our museum and libraries. A lift goes from the St Aubyn Street car park to the museum entrance. There are three lifts inside Puke Ariki that will get you to all parts of the building.

This event will be held in the Puke Ariki Foyer.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Puke Ariki, 1 Ariki Street, New Plymouth, New Zealand