Kids & Whānau Festival

MUSIC

Suzy Cato

10.50–11.20am & 12.55–1.25pm

Te Ātea | North Atrium, Mezzanine

A beloved Kiwi entertainer, educator and advocate for children, Suzy Cato has been a cherished part of New Zealand households for over three decades. With her warm smile and iconic ‘Hello, my friend’, welcome she continues to inspire, educate and uplift tamariki and whānau across Aotearoa.

Join Suzy for a special story time and musical performance – fun for the whole whānau!

MUSIC

Loopy Tunes

11.20am–12pm

Te Ātea | North Atrium, Mezzanine

Loopy Tunes Preschool Music are Christchurch-based sisters Siu Williams-Lemi and Leah Williams-Partington, with whakapapa to Ngāpuhi and Tonga. Known for their joyful bilingual Māori and Pasifika children’s waiata, they bring a vibrant cultural flavour to kids’ music in Aotearoa.

Winners of three 2025 Aotearoa Children’s Music Awards, they continue to inspire tamariki through live shows, tours, and their YouTube series, Music Time with Loopy Tunes.

Join in the fun, singing and dancing with Loopy Tunes!

 

MUSIC

North Shore Youth Music Choirs

1.25–1.55pm & 2.30–3pm

Te Ātea | North Atrium, Mezzanine

Come listen and move your body to the performances from the Songsters and Con Brio children’s choirs.

Songsters is a choir for 5–8-year-olds who sing together, learn aural skills and basic music skills, meet new friends, and importantly have fun! Con Brio Choir is NSYM’s premier ensemble, which is an auditioned choir for singers aged 12–16 years old. Directed by Vanessa Kay.

MUSIC  

‘Taimoana’ written by Grace Wellik and performed by Trio Chroma

12–12.25pm & 2–2.25pm

Te Ātea | North Atrium, Mezzanine

This original musical composition was inspired by Taimoana | Coastlines: Art in Aotearoa, which you can see on the Ground floor. Throughout four musical movements, we explore a combined whakapapa between people and nature, examining the birth of both land and people, experiences in the ocean, experiences on land, and the connections between the end of life and water.

Grace Wellik (BMus) is a Tāmaki Makarau-based composer known for her magical and distinctively powerful compositional voice. She is the 2025 Young Composer-in-Residence for the Auckland Philharmonia.

Trio Chroma is a bold new force in New Zealand’s chamber music scene, uniting the talents of three exceptional musicians – award-winning pianist Madeleine Xiao, violinist Minglun Liu (Principal Second Violin, Auckland Philharmonia), and double bassist John Mietus (Associate Principal, Auckland Philharmonia).

CREATE 

Suitcase Homes

10am–4.30pm

Te Ātea | North Atrium, Mezzanine

South Korean artist Do Ho Suh, is known for his large fabric copies of buildings where he has lived and worked. Because they are made of fabric, they can be folded and carried – he calls them ‘suitcase homes’. You can see one of these artworks, North Wall, 2005, in Te Ātea | North Atrium on the Mezzanine.

Make your own suitcase home in Kids & Whānau Create! Imagine a place you love, recreate it, then fold it up and take it with you – reminding you that home is not just a place, but something you carry with you wherever you go.

Kia mau ki te tokanga nui a noho – There is no place like home.

CREATE

The Art of Gift-giving

10am–4.30pm

Foyer, Level 1

Practise and enjoy the art of gift-giving. Be inspired by the artworks gifted by Josie and Julian Robertson in the Robertson Gift collection. Create your own special gift for a stranger and receive one too! 

Ahakoa he iti, he iti nā te aroha – Although it is small, it is given with affection.

CREATE

Dress-up & Photo Booth

10am–4.30pm

Threads of Time Exhibition space, Mezzanine

The Threads of Time Dress-Up & Photo Booth is bursting with fabulous fabrics and costume fun. Get inspiration from the textures and styles you see in the paintings, then mix and match robes, ruffles, and regal looks to become part of the scene. Once you’re all dressed up, jump into the photo booth and recreate a masterpiece – or make your own! It’s all about creativity and fun!

CREATE

Crochet with Ani O’Neill

1pm & 3pm

Gibbs 1, Ground floor

Get creative with artist Ani O’Neill in a fun workshop inspired by her amazing artwork Eke! Right next to the giant masterpiece itself, tamariki can learn to tie knots and make a simple necklace to wear. No experience needed – just bring your imagination!

 

 

CREATE

Reading Nook & Badge-making

10am–4.30pm

E H McCormick Research Library, Mezzanine

Need a little break from the festival fun? Come chill out in our cozy library nook! Snuggle up with a great story from our awesome collection of children’s books – there’s something for every young reader. Plus, get crafty and design your very own badge to take home.

PLAY

Kaupapa TIPU – Grow Your Reo! Presented by Kura Rēhia

10am–3pm | New games start every half hour

South Atrium, Ground floor

Interactive game session where tamariki and whānau learn te reo Māori together through laughter, teamwork and play.

Act, describe and use clever clues – voices, gestures, and sound – to help your team guess the kupu Māori. Each round, Māui the mischief-maker flips the rules, so no two games are ever the same.

PLAY

Cardboard World

10am–4.30pm

East Terrace, Level 2

Step into Cardboard World – a magical, hands-on building zone inspired by the imagination of artist Louise Bourgeois! Create your own lairs, towers, tunnels and spider-like sculptures using nothing but cardboard and your wildest ideas. 

Be sure to visit Louise Bourgeois: In Private View on Level 2. Enjoy discovering spiders and lairs amongst the artworks!

PLAY

Music Exploration with Auckland Philharmonia

10.20–10.50am, 12.25–12.55pm

Te Ātea | North Atrium, Mezzanine

What do a bassoon and a kauri tree have in common? Can trees talk to each other – and what might they sound like? And what about the animals that live in them?

Join us for a fun, hands-on musical adventure! Tamariki are invited to explore a variety of hand percussion instruments and discover the deep, earthy sound of the bassoon. Together with our music educator, we’ll make music, spark curiosity and connect with the wonders of nature through sound.

DANCE

Kia Ruku ki Tai! Dive into Taimoana | Coastlines: Art in Aotearoa with Atamira Dance Company

10am & 12.00pm

Foyer, Lower Ground

Nau mai, hono mai ki te papamahi nei ko ‘Kia Ruku ki Tai’! Join Atamira dance artists Madison Tumataroa and Tai Hemana as they guide you on a journey through the exhibition Taimoana | Coastlines.

This workshop invites tamariki to explore the exhibition through movement, play and imagination. We’ll journey past mighty motu, glide through the moana like waka, and twist and stretch like giant wheke.

FOOD TRUCK

Ice Cream Social

10am–4.30pm

Gallery Forecourt

Ice Cream Social serves fresh real fruit ice cream from their retro-inspired carts and trailers. Using the creamiest of locally produced ice cream and a delicious range of berries, it's 'summer in a cone'.

FOOD TRUCK

Grayze Smash Burgers and Hot Chips

10am–5pm

Gallery Forecourt

Grayze is more than just a food truck – we’re a Food Train! Owned and operated by a family of foodies driven by a passion for creating mouthwatering dishes that pass the fussbag grade we set for ourselves and everyone else.