Cantonese (Jung Seng/Zengcheng 增城) New Zealander

Discipline: Literature

Receiving the Burr/Tatham Trust Award

Alison Wong is a novelist and poet whose works weave together themes of identity, migration, and cultural heritage. Her poignant explorations of heritage and history amplify diverse voices, and she proudly stands as the first – and still the only – Asian New Zealand writer to win the NZ Post Book Award for Fiction for her historical novel As the Earth Turns Silver.

Discipline: Music

Receiving the Joanna Hickman, Waiwetu Trust Award

Claire Cowan is a trailblazing composer and multi-instrumentalist who transcends concert, film, television, theatre and ballet. Celebrated for her ability to bridge classical and popular genres, she made history as Aotearoa New Zealand’s first female composer to score a full-length ballet for the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Hansel and Gretel.

Mataatua, Ngāti Awa, Tūhourangi

Discipline: Design/Sculpture

Receiving the Design Award gifted by the Crane Foundation

Carin Wilson Kahui Whetu Ngā Aho is an influential designer and sculptor whose career has been dedicated to advancing Māori design principles and promoting culturally relevant practices in architecture and furniture making. Carin’s work encompasses a wide range of mediums, from handcrafted furniture to large-scale public art installations, often inspired by his deep connection to Māori narratives and the natural environment.

Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Taranaki

Discipline: Taonga Pūoro/Composer

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

Horomona Horo is a masterful composer and musician known for his expertise in taonga pūoro, the traditional Māori musical instruments. With over two decades dedicated to this ancient Māori art form, he innovatively blends traditional sounds with diverse genres – preserving ancestral voices while playing a pivotal role in its international resurgence.

Ngāti Kurī ki Ngāi Tahu, Samoan (Faleilili), Celtic

Discipline: Visual Arts

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

Lonnie Hutchinson is a leading multidisciplinary artist whose thought-provoking works comment astutely on aspects of indigeneity, colonisation, and the complexities of identity. For over three decades, she has drawn from her rich Ngāi Tahu, Samoan, and Celtic heritage to create powerful installations that fuse personal moments with global issues.

Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi

Discipline: Theatre

Receiving the Sir Roger Hall Theatre Award

Miriama McDowell is an award-winning actor, director, and writer dedicated to uplifting Māori and indigenous voices through her storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has enriched New Zealand’s theatre and film landscape, fostering vital cultural dialogue and challenging societal norms.

Discipline: Visual Arts

Receiving the Female Arts Practitioner Award gifted by Liz Aitken, Foggy Valley Aotearoa

Saskia Leek is a visionary contemporary painter whose intimate-scale works explore the intersections of amateur and canonical painting traditions. Her distinctive style and thoughtful use of everyday subject matter have earned her national and international recognition, including a nomination for the prestigious Walters Prize.

Discipline: Theatre

Samoan (Iva), Scottish (Broughty Ferry)

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

Victor Rodger ONZM is an award-winning playwright and producer, celebrated for his bold and provocative works that explore issues of race, identity, and sexuality. His plays, including Sons, Black Faggot and My Name is Gary Cooper, have earned international acclaim, establishing him as a pioneer in queer writing.