Whether you’re a practicing artist, community group, tamariki looking for inspiration, or a visitor wanting to explore our creative scene…
Haere mai, you’re in the right place.
Creative Taupō is a community-led initiative supporting the vibrant, diverse, and growing arts sector in the Taupō District.
We exist to empower artists, connect communities, and celebrate creative expression across the rohe from Taupō to Tūrangi and Mangakino.
We believe that Toi, the arts, are a powerful force for wellbeing, identity, and whanaungatanga.
To create a vibrant, inclusive, and dynamic arts and cultural ecosystem in the Taupō District where local artists, arts organisations, and the wider community engage, share, and benefit from creative expression and opportunities.
To elevate the arts in our district by connecting people, nurturing talent, advocating for creatives, and increasing visibility and access through digital tools, professional development, and community partnerships.
These are the beliefs that shape everything we do, from who we fund to how we show up in the community.
We honour and uplift all creatives, embracing diversity and fostering respectful relationships.
We bring people together to collaborate, share resources, and build a strong, connected arts community.
We are grounded in our place, proud of our unique cultural landscape, and committed to telling our stories through art.
We encourage curiosity, innovation, and lifelong learning across all forms of creative expression.
Building long-term support for arts through strategic funding, facilities, and impact evaluation.
Register and join the Creative Taupō directory today and show off your mahi!
Chris – your go-to person at Creative Taupō!
Chris Marshall is the Arts Coordinator for Creative Taupō. Chris has a background in teaching (secondary school level English and instrumental music), journalism and is involved in a number of local music groups and the Taupō School of Music.
He has connections with drama groups, local film makers, photographers, potters and painters, as well as having worked with those involved in kaupapa Māori arts and environmental initiatives.
Chris is passionate about the Creative Taupō Trust making the most of platforms that amplify creative voices, including in our rural and underrepresented communities.
His role is to be the connector behind our events, website, workshops, and community engagement activities, ensuring our strategy lives and breathes at every level.
Chris is the second arts coordinator and aims to continue the good work of the inaugural coordinator Lauren Fletcher (Ngāti Tūwharetoa).
Looking to kōrero, connect, or collaborate?
Over the next three years, Creative Taupō will focus on:
Our Strategic Priorities: 2024–2027
Do you want to get on board and support the arts in the Taupō district? Become a funder or partner with Creative Taupō
Chair
The arts connect and help us access our feelings and what it means to be human... art is sharing the experience of what it is to live.
Trustee
The arts help indicate the health of a community but can also challenge established modes of operating as an outlet for dissent and critical thinking.
Trustee
The arts are an expression of our humanity - they reflect our values, communicate our struggles, and shape how we interact with the world around us.
Trustee
The arts are an expression of our humanity - they reflect our values, communicate our struggles, and shape how we interact with the world around us.
Trustee
Art helps us tell our stories, reflect our identity, and connect with each other, bringing energy and meaning to public spaces.
Committee member
An active arts community helps keep people in our district happy and engaged with each other, whether it be through producing or consuming local art.
Youth Representative
The arts are important for their ability to engender experiences that create a happy, healthy community.
Youth Representative
The arts are important in creating a sense of community and bringing vibrancy to our town. Art events bring people together to make new connections.
We love hearing from passionate locals with creative plans (the wilder dreams, the better!).
How To: Resize Your Images
Having trouble uploading your images because of file size? Try this giude!
How To: List an Event
Got a creative event, and you want the community to know? It's super easy!
How To: List a Venue
Need bookings for your venue? List it on the directory to get it front of Taupō's creatives.
How To: Make a Group Profile
Find new members or new opportunities for your creative group with a directory listing!