Wharenui Harikoa

Step into a world where colour, light, and story converge.

Wharenui Harikoa, the stunning large-scale crocheted wharenui (Māori meeting house) inspired by the joy, connection, and healing found in te ao Māori will grace Tāmaki Makaurau’s treasured theatre stage The Civic.

This immersive experience weaves together tukutuku panels, handcrafted pou, a sensory touch wall, and a mesmerising light and soundscape. Drawn from taonga tuku iho (ancestral treasures passed down), it invites you to take off your shoes, slow down, and enter a space for dreaming.

At its heart, Wharenui Harikoa is a refracting prism of tūpuna-inspired light – a vessel of aroha travelling across the world to ignite joy, one loop at a time.

Inspired by the stories of Matariki and Te Whānau Mārama (the celestial family), this is the first time the Wharenui will stand while Matariki is visible in the night sky – a powerful moment to honour the past, celebrate the present, and dream boldly for the future.

This is a FREE event but tickets are required.

Patrons are required to remove their shoes before entering and must refrain from touching the exhibition.