Event banner for TIKA organization with details of Gala on December 9, at NZICC, with live music, website URL TIKA.ORG.NZ, and established in 2025.

Arrival. Witness. Release.

Format: Live gala fundraiser, cultural production and national broadcast.

  • Live experience: Approximately six hours

  • Broadcast programme: Approximately two hours

  • Production period: Two days of build and rehearsal preceding the event

The Tika Gala is conceived as a premium, values-led national event using performance,broadcast and philanthropy to fund survivor-informed reform, demonstrate best-practice safeguarding and create a visible commitment to change across Aotearoa’s music sector.

This is not a conventional charity concert.

It is a structural intervention expressed through culture: one audience, one journey and three connected chapters.

Arrival. Witness. Release.

The creative treatment should remain elegant, emotionally intelligent and quietly powerful. Music, visual art, architecture, technology and storytelling must work together with discipline. The production should avoid spectacle for spectacle’s sake, favouring cultural credibility, dignity and purposeful moments of transformation.

creative overview.

The event moves through three interconnected environments:

  • Chapter

  • Environment

  • Creative purpose

Arrival

Reception and red carpet

Public visibility, portraiture and cultural presence

Witness

Gala Dinner

Intimacy, reflection, ritual and commitment

Release

Revealed concert stage

Orchestral scale, collective performance and national broadcast impact

The dramatic spine is not built around one featured song or one headline artist.

Instead, the evening develops through:

  • the living portrait installation of Chris Cuffaro;

  • the architectural transformation of the Gala Dinner room;

  • digital work by Kereama Taepa;

  • two performance sections featuring Theia with Kapa Haka;

  • creative direction and transitional interventions led by Tiki Taane;

  • the reveal of the concert stage;

  • Auckland Philharmonia and choir;

  • featured appearances by Hollie Smith, Jon Toogood, Boh Runga and Tiki Taane and Tali;

  • collaborative performances commissioned specifically for the Gala;

  • clear, survivor-informed impact and pledge segments.

Central Creative Idea

From Portrait to Whare to National Stage

The audience begins by seeing the people of Aotearoa’s cultural community represented at monumental scale.

They then move into an intimate, contemporary interpretation of a whare… a held space for gathering, witnessing and commitment.

Finally, the architecture opens and the audience discovers a fully formed stage occupied by the Auckland Philharmonia.

The creative progression is therefore:

We see ourselves.


We gather beneath one roof.


We raise a collective voice.

Text-based event announcement for a TIKA event, including date, location, and organizer, with a logo and website URL.

CHAPTER ONE — ARRIVAL

“Good evening, and welcome to The Tika Gala. Around us are the faces of artists, leaders and guests choosing to stand visibly for a safer future. Tonight, we become part of a shared portrait—not as spectators, but as participants in a collective act of responsibility, hope and change.”

CHAPTER ONE — ARRIVAL

Title

The Living Portrait

Environment

The reception area becomes a large-scale photographic and projection installation led by international music photographer Chris Cuffaro.

The visual environment features portraits of New Zealand musicians, performers, artists, broadcasters and cultural figures photographed by Chris in the period before the Gala.

These portraits are projected at architectural scale throughout the reception area, creating a living gallery of Aotearoa’s creative community.

The installation then evolves in real time as arriving attendees are photographed and progressively incorporated into the visual environment.

Chris Cuffaro Red-Carpet Portrait Experience

Every attendee is offered a highly controlled editorial portrait rather than a conventional event photograph.

The experience is designed to be fast, premium and visually consistent.

Portrait workflow

  • The guest arrives through the red-carpet pathway.

  • Chris photographs the guest within a purpose-built portrait environment.

  • A digital technician selects the strongest approved frame.

  • The image is processed using the agreed 110B emulator treatment.

  • The guest receives a digital version suitable for social media.

  • A high-resolution version is retained for print.

  • Approved images may enter the venue projection sequence.

  • Selected images may appear on digital out-of-home screens around Auckland.

  • Approved images may also be incorporated into broadcast montages and event documentation.

The image treatment should create a recognisable signature across all portraits, giving the Gala a coherent visual identity rather than producing a collection of unrelated red-carpet photographs.

Stylized logo reading '!TIKA' next to event details indicating a gala on December 9th at NZICC and live streaming, with website URL TIKA.ORG.NZ and establishment date 2025.

CHAPTER TWO — WITNESS

Title

The Whare

Creative Purpose

The Gala Dinner is the moral and architectural centre of the evening.

The room is inspired by the idea of a whare: a gathering place, a protective structure and a space in which people come together under one roof.

This should not be treated as a literal scenic reproduction.

Instead, the design draws from the principles of:

  • shelter;

  • gathering;

  • collective presence;

  • ancestry;

  • intimacy;

  • relationship between floor, wall and roof;

  • the sense of being held within a shared structure.

The interpretation and use of cultural concepts, Atua and visual language must be developed with Kereama Taepa and appropriate tikanga and cultural guidance.

Artist Kereama Taepa
Mai Te Uira

Through the presence of Te Uira, Tānemahuta and Hine-te-Iwaiwa, Mai Te Uira offers a powerful contemporary meditation on culture, innovation and identity.

A gray game box with a black and white Tika logo on the front.

CHAPTER THREE — RELEASE

Title

The Collective Voice

The final chapter expands from the intimacy of the whare into a national concert and broadcast environment.

The Auckland Philharmonia performs specially commissioned orchestral arrangements of New Zealand music. The reference concept positions this as a one-night-only programme combining symphonic performance with contemporary artists and cinematic scale.

Featured Artists

  • Auckland Philharmonia;

  • Tiki Taane

  • Tali;

  • Hollie Smith;

  • Boh Runga;

  • Jon Toogood;

  • Theia;

  • Kapa Haka ensemble;

  • additional collaborative artists to be confirmed.

The site reference also proposes an Auckland Philharmonia collaboration with Tiki Taane and Tali, combining orchestral performance with dub, drum and bass and soulful vocal elements.

Auckland Philharmonia x Tiki Taane + Tali

Featuring Tiki Taane and Tali in an electrifying live performance that fuses dub, drum & bass and soulful vocals.
Renowned for their dynamic stage presence and genre-defying sound, the duo will deliver an unforgettable performance that brings energy, intensity and unmistakable Aotearoa flavour to The Tika Gala. 

Musicians performing with vibrant, blurred light effects and colorful background.
A colorful abstract background with a dark purple gradient, pink, and blue shades, featuring the text "Auckland Philharmonia" in white.

the Team

  • Black and white portrait of a woman in a feathered costume, looking over her shoulder with a confident expression, against a plain background.

    Stacey Morrison

    Host MC

  • Black and white portrait of a woman with long wavy hair, smiling and looking at the camera.

    Zoë Lawton

    Host / Tika Founder

  • Black and white portrait of a blonde woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a dark top, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

    Alison Mau

    Host / Tika Founder

  • A black and white photo of a man wearing sunglasses and a black shirt, with short dark hair, a beard, and a mustache, looking at the camera.

    Joff Rae

    Creative / Executive Producer

  • A man with tattoos on his arms and neck, wearing a cap and a sleeveless shirt, holds his hands together near his face and looks directly at the camera in black and white.

    Tiki Taane

    Creative

  • Black and white portrait of a woman with short blonde hair wearing a dark pinstripe blazer, a white shirt, and a chunky chain necklace.

    Ange Watson

    CEO Colenso BBDO

  • Black and white photograph of a woman with wavy blonde hair, smiling, wearing a checkered top, sitting with her hands clasped.

    Sulaika (Sue) Esselbrugge

    Sponsors / Partners

  • A smiling woman with shoulder-length wavy hair, wearing a black long-sleeve top and light-colored pants, sitting on a cushioned chair with her hands resting on her lap.

    Amy Van Garderen

    Sponsors / Partners

  • A smiling woman with dark hair tied up, wearing a sheer black top with lace details.

    Deb Wooton

    Event Manager

  • A woman smiling, wearing glasses and a black top, with long, curly hair.

    Frieda Crawford

    Governance / Risk

  • A smiling woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing earrings, a necklace, and a dark blouse, looking directly at the camera.

    Katharine Broughton

    Strategy

  • Black and white photograph of a woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with dark, wavy hair, and layers of necklaces. She is looking to the side with a calm expression.

    NinaKaye Taane Tinorau

    Tikanga

  • Black-and-white photo of a smiling woman with short dark hair, wearing a casual button-up shirt over a t-shirt.

    Toni Lea

    Line Producer

  • A man wearing a black baseball cap with a number three logo and a dark, collared shirt, smiling at the camera.

    Jason Steel

    Production Design

  • Black and white portrait of a man with a beard and short hair, looking to the side with a serious expression.

    Dr Kingsley Spargo-Melhuish

    Creative Producer

  • A young man with dark hair and wearing a dark shirt, standing or seated against a plain background.

    Reuben Friend

    Curator / Art Direction

  • A smiling man with a beard and gray hair, wearing a vest and a lanyard with an ID badge, standing against a plain background.

    Aaron Hobman

    Production / LX

  • Black and white portrait of a smiling man with short hair, wearing a button-up shirt.

    John JR Robertson

    Producer

  • A man wearing a black baseball cap and a dirty apron, sitting with his hands resting on his lap, in front of a plain background.

    Kereama Taepa

    Artist

  • A black-and-white photo of a middle-aged man with glasses, short gray hair, and a beard, wearing a black t-shirt, sitting with clasped hands, against a dark background.

    Chris Cuffaro

    Artist / Photography

  • Generic user avatar icon with a silhouette of a person in the center.

    TBC

    Producer / Broadcast

  • Default user profile icon with a silhouette of a person inside a circle.

    TBC

    Director / Broadcast

  • Black and white photo of a smiling woman with shoulder-length wavy hair wearing a blazer.

    Sam Horsnell

    NZICC Venue

  • A smiling person with short dark hair styled upwards, wearing round black glasses and a denim jacket, against a black background.

    Emma Henderson

    NZICC Venue

  • Audrey Holyoake

    Audrey Holyoake

    EA / Assistant

  • Generic user profile icon with a circular gray silhouette of a person on a black background.

    TBC

    FOH

  • Black and white photograph of a young man with styled hair, wearing a button-up shirt, smiling slightly, against a plain background.

    Mark Rule

    Broadcast

  • A smiling man in a patterned blazer, white shirt, and watch posing against a plain background.

    James Thompson

    Audio Manager

  • Generic user profile icon showing a person silhouette inside a circle

    TBC

    LED / Visuals

  • Black and white portrait of a smiling man with glasses and a beard, wearing a dark shirt, against a dark background.

    Rhys Owen

    NZICC Production

  • Logo of a large orange slice with a black vinyl record in the center, and the words 'Sweet Orange' below, over a background of a crowd at a concert or festival with stage lights.

    Sweet Orange

    Creative / Production / Experiential

  • Black background with a white tribal mask logo and the text 'TKIDUB PRODUCTIONS'.

    TikiDub Productions

    Creative

  • Stylized logo with the letters T, C, and A on a brown background

    THE COLLECTIVE AGENCY

    Sponsorships / Partnerships

  • Logo with white stylized text on an orange circular background.

    Wild Apricot Events

    Event Management

  • Logo with the text 'Colenso BBDO Auckland' in white and red on a black background.

    Colenso BBDO

    Agency

  • Logo for NZL Productions featuring two women with colorful hair, one with pink and the other with black, leaning over a reflective surface in a dark setting.

    NJL Productions

    LX / Production

  • College Hill logo with the slogan "Sounds Best" beneath it.

    College Hill Productions

    Audio

  • A black square with diagonal white stripes.

    Global Production Partners

    Production Design

  • Logo with gear and wrench icons surrounding the letters 'TPA' in the center

    The Production Agency

    A&R / Promotion

  • Close-up of a black and white circular logo with a stylized eye in the center, featuring a white outer circle and a black inner circle.

    Chris Cuffaro

    Exhibition

  • Dark circular icon with a stylized cursor arrow and curved lines.

    iSPARX.Group

    Immersive Media

  • Black square with rounded corners and a white lowercase 'i' in the center.

    Image NZ

    broadcast

  • A stylized black-and-white illustration of a woman hanging upside down from an umbrella.

    Dust Palace

    Circus

  • The logo of NW Group featuring a stylized blue circle with a blue 'M' inside, and the text 'NW GROUP' in gray font below.

    NW Group

    Venue Tech

  • Logo of the New Zealand International Convention Centre featuring a stylized silver fern leaf on a black circular background.

    New Zealand International Convention Centre

    Venue

360°

Black background with white text reading "Insta360 TITAN Built for cinematic VR." Overlaying the text is a 3D camera with multiple lenses, positioned at the bottom center of the image.
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