Unitec School of Creative Industries

Three new works. One powerful showcase.

Our Unitec Pacific dancers are bringing fresh movement, stories and perspectives to this year's Pacific Dance Festival as part of MOANA SHOWCASE.

Come cheer on the next generation of Pacific and Aotearoa dance artists and experience new work created by emerging voices ready to make their mark.
https://tinyurl.com/MoanaShowcase

Tuesday June 9
Māngere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku at 8pm

🌺See you there!

Image credits: Jinki Cambronero Photography

Huge fa'amalo to Unitec Associate Professor Lefaoali'i Dion Enari on receiving a 2026 Fulbright NZ Scholar Award.

For our Dance ākonga, this is a powerful reminder that dance isn't only performed on stage. It can also be a way of preserving knowledge, strengthening cultural connections and contributing to international research.

Congratulations Lefaoali'i! We can't wait to follow your journey,

Huge faamalo (congratulations) to Unitec Associate Professor Lefaoali'i Dion Enari, one of six researchers to receive one of this year's Fulbright NZ Scholar Awards! He will travel to Hawaii in July to research Indigenous Dance at Brigham Young University.

Opening night at MAHI

Co-curated by Unitec Contemporary Art lecturer, Emma Smith, and Year 3 Design and Contemporary Art ākonga Cathy King, the exhibition brings together projects in progress from our Year 3 DCA students as part of their Professional Project paper.

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who stopped by on opening night and spent time with the artists, designers and ideas on display.

📸 Swipe through for highlights.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Big congratulations to Unitec Master of Creative Practice graduate Scarlett Robinson‑Kean, named one of just 16 recipients of the 2026 Springboard Award 🎉.

🎧 Listen to Scarlett’s RNZ interview to hear more about the award and what it means to build a creative career in Aotearoa.

Scarlett Robinson-Kean and Sefa Tunupopo Illustrator Scarlett Robinson-Kean and dancer Sefa Tunupopo are two of the 16 early-career artists selected for this year's Arts Foundation Springboard, each receiving $15,000 and a mentorship. Scarlett, whose graphic novel To Seed, To Sprout, To Seed won a bronze at last year's Best Design Awards,....

EXHIBITION OPENING | June 4, 5pm - 7pm
Toi o Wairaka Gallery, Te Putahi Building 108, Unitec,
Mt Albert Campus.

Unitec Third year Art and Design ākonga have put on an exhibition of projects in process as part of their Professional project paper. The exhibition runs from the 2nd -10th June with a celebration function on Thursday 4th June. All welcome!

Kaimahi Spotlight

We’re proud to spotlight Unitec photography lecturer Allan McDonald and his latest exhibition, Western Line 2003.

Presented on the Te Tuhi Billboards at Parnell Station, the photographic series documents the railway margins and overlooked spaces of Tāmaki Makaurau as a response to the rapid commodification of the city during the early 2000s.

Images: Allan McDonald, 'Kingsland (tunnel)', 2003 | Allan McDonald, 'Henderson (overbridge)', 2003 | Allan McDonald, 'Morningside (photographer)', 2003.

Alumni Spotlight

Unitec Acting graduate Kura Forrester was featured on Breakfast this week to discuss the launch of her new show 'Appropriation Nation', now available on TVNZ+ plus.

Rewatch the interview here: https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/05/26/is-it-ok-for-non-maori-to-perform-haka-new-show-investigates-appropriation/