We’re thrilled to announce eight new Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureates – outstanding practising artists recognised for their world-class work and profound impact on Aotearoa New Zealand’s culture and communities.

Each Laureate receives a $50,000 gift — no strings attached — given in recognition of their extraordinary contribution to date and as a nudge to keep going. This incredible total of $400,000 in direct support is made possible thanks to the generosity of a small but mighty group of arts backers across Aotearoa – including a legendary $5,000 top-up to each Award from our Strategic Partner, One NZ.

Bill Direen

Discipline: Music, Literature

Receiving the Joanna Hickman, Waiwetu Trust Award

Variously described as an underground legend, international troubadour and artistic polymath, Bill Direen has forged an independent path for nearly five decades. From early recordings with The Bilders to a 2024 collaboration with members of Lambchop, his singular, exploratory voice spans music, poetry, prose and theatre – playful, grave, collaborative, and enduringly original.

Cheryl Lucas

Discipline: Ceramics

Receiving the Female Arts Practitioner Award gifted by Foggy Valley Aotearoa Trust

Cheryl Lucas is a celebrated ceramic artist whose bold, socially engaged practice reflects the rugged landscapes of Te Waipounamu the South Island. From heritage restoration after the Christchurch earthquakes to sculptural works exploring the amazing structures of native plants, she brings decades of insight, craft and curiosity to ceramics – reflected in a raft of national and international awards.

Kate Newby

Discipline: Sculpture

Receiving the Gow Family Foundation Sculpture Award

Kate Newby is an internationally acclaimed sculptor whose quiet, radical practice transforms everyday spaces into subtle, contemplative encounters. Exhibited worldwide – from the Sydney and Sharjah Biennales to the Palais de Tokyo – Kate is celebrated for her integrity, generosity, and commitment to process, inspiring generations of contemporary artists.

Pene Pati

Discipline: Opera

Receiving the Burr/Tatham Trust Award

From his hometown of Apia to the world’s greatest opera houses, tenor Pene Pati is celebrated for his radiant, golden-toned voice and magnetic stage presence. A leading tenor of his generation, he bridges classical opera and popular performance, inspiring new audiences and earning acclaim from San Francisco to Paris, London and New York as one of Aotearoa’s finest operatic ambassadors.

Roseanne Liang

Discipline: Film

Receiving the Dame Gaylene Preston Filmmaker Award

Roseanne Liang is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most fearless cinematic voices, known for bold, inventive storytelling across film and TV. From My Wedding and Other Secrets to Creamerie, Do No Harm, and Shadow in the Cloud, she combines humour, genre play, and cultural insight, shaping Aotearoa’s screen landscape and advocating for equity and representation worldwide.

Séraphine Pick

Discipline: Visual Arts

Receiving the My ART Visual Arts Award gifted by Sonja and Glenn Hawkins

Séraphine Pick has spent over three decades creating layered, atmospheric paintings that explore memory, consciousness, and the body. One of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most celebrated painters, her practice has evolved from dark, dreamlike tableaus to luminous explorations of colour, light, and contemporary experience, sustaining a deeply influential and distinctive voice in Aotearoa’s contemporary art scene.

Shona Rapira-Davies

Discipline: Sculpture, Visual Arts

Receiving the Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Award gifted by Jillian Friedlander  

Shona Rapira-Davies (Ngāti Wai) is a sculptor and visual artist whose electrifying work has sustained a visionary practice for over four decades. Her work confronts the legacies of colonisation while uplifting the strength and aspirations of te ao Māori – from the landmark clay installation Ngā Morehu to the public reclamation of Te Aro Park with Te Waimapihi. Her work has expanded Māori art in the public consciousness and continues to resonate across generations.

Reuben Paterson

Discipline: Visual Arts

Receiving the Toi Kō Iriiri Queer Arts Award gifted by Hall Cannon

Reuben Paterson (Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe, Tūhourangi, Scottish) is celebrated for his glittering paintings, installations and public artworks that fuse Māori visual language, queer identity and contemporary culture. Exhibited from City Gallery Wellington to Christie’s New York, and creator of iconic works like Guide Kaiārahi, his shimmering, conceptually ambitious practice celebrates hybridity, memory and belonging with joy, courage and radiant light.

How Were They Selected?

Laureates are practising New Zealand artists recognised for exceptional achievement in their field, a world-class body of work, and a lasting contribution to New Zealand’s culture and communities. Each Laureate demonstrates artistic excellence, deep commitment to their craft, and the potential for continued impact.

A Laureate Award is unique in that you cannot be nominated, and you cannot apply. Instead, we bring together an independent panel of experts from across the arts and creativity sector to make the tough decision.