Arts Inc. Hawke's Bay

01/09/2026

Have you entered your float?! Send us a message if you have an idea you’d like to discuss for your community group 🌸

31/08/2026

Have you entered your community group into this year's Blossom Parade? There's still time!

Register your community group to join the procession with a float, march, bike, dance or whatever works best for you! This is an opportunity to put your group or organisation in front of thousands of enthusiastic, engaged locals - and be in the running to win, prizes, too.

The Parade kicks off at 1pm on Saturday 19 September, with thousands of people expected to line the streets and enjoy the spectacle.

Get in touch to discuss your ideas.

The Hastings Blossom Parade is a free event that brings the community together to celebrate the arrival of Spring and renews a sense of pride in our region.

26/08/2026

Otane Arts & Crafts Inc - Arty Facts
24 August - 5 September
Hastings Arts Centre

The Otane Art Group is excited to hold a new exhibition at the Hastings Arts Centre to highlight & showcase their member’s diverse creativity, in Heretaunga. “Arty Facts” sends a playful message of the enjoyment artists receive when they create.

26/08/2026

Congratulations to Lyn! 👏👏👏

The Civic Honour Awards celebrate and recognise the wonderful groups and individuals who have given many years of outstanding voluntary service.

This year, Lyn Mackie received a Civic Honour Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Hastings community. For 28 years, Lyn served as director of the annual Hastings Blossom Parade, helping to create a spectacular and much-loved highlight of the Hastings events calendar, enjoyed by tens of thousands of visitors over the years.
Originally started as a way to celebrate the start of the growing season the parade has grown to become a family focused multicultural expression of the diversity of the Hastings community.
Lyn works closely with parade participants, often going above and beyond to help them realise their vision.
As the central figure to the parade’s success, Lyn demonstrates ongoing consummate organisation and relationship management skills, on top of her role as the business service lead for Arts Inc Hawke’s Bay, helping deliver an important community event that fosters civic pride and community connection.

26/08/2026

Tyler Hollows - The Mind of Tyler
24 August - 5 September
Hastings Arts Centre

Tyler Hollows creates imaginative, comic inspired artwork using pigment liners and coloured pencils. After a 10-year break, he returned to his artwork, inspired by expressive animals and skate culture.

25/08/2026

Creative New Zealand webinar: Regional Partnerships RFP

Artists, creatives and arts organisations across Hawke’s Bay are invited to join an upcoming Creative New Zealand webinar about its new Regional Partnerships RFP.

Hear directly from Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Gretchen La Roche about the Regional Partnerships opportunity, which will see CNZ partner with independent organisations across Aotearoa to support regional arts development from 2027.

The webinar is open to anyone working across the arts, culture and creative sector, from grassroots to professional and across all disciplines, with an opportunity to ask questions.

Taking place Wednesday 2 September at 11.30am, online.

Registration is required to receive the webinar link.

Register at the Zoom link, here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/4QKmboP4TvqHP5xMmnHbSQ

Creative New Zealand

25/08/2026

Mark Simpson Exhibition
24 August - 5 September
Hastings Arts Centre

Through portraiture and landscapes, Mark S. Simpson explores the stories found in people, place and faith. A largely self-taught artist, his work reflects a lifelong creative practice shaped by music, community and a commitment to using art as a means of connection.

21/08/2026

The Hastings Arts Centre will be closed this Saturday 22 August.
See you Monday with a fresh new exhibition 👀!

20/08/2026

The 2026–2027 Hawke’s Bay Arts Trail Guidebook is out now, bringing together more than 100 artists and creative destinations from across the region. Pick up a free copy from the Hastings Arts Centre or while you’re out and about in the District, and use it year-round to discover new artists, galleries and creative spaces across Heretaunga and the wider Hawke’s Bay.

Plus, save the date for the Hawke’s Bay Arts Trail, 7–8 and 14–15 November 2026, when participating artists open their studios and creative spaces to visitors.

Find the art. Meet the artist. See how it’s made.

Find out more at artsinc.co.nz.

Cover image ~ 'The Blue House', Fi Tindall.

Hawke's Bay Arts Trail

14/08/2026

A huge congratulations to our wonderful Lyn, who last night was awarded a Civic Honour Award by the Hastings District Council - Te Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Heretaunga for 28 years as event coordinator of the much loved Hastings Blossom Parade, helping grow the event into a family-focused, multicultural celebration that brings tens of thousands of people together in the city centre.

We're so appreciative of all that you do, Lyn, and we're very much looking forward to this year's Parade!

Congratulations to this year's Hastings Civic Honour Award recipients!

At last night's awards ceremony at Toitoi - Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre, the contributions of two Hastings groups and 11 individuals, spanning many decades and almost every aspect of community life, were recognised.

From supporting vulnerable whānau and inspiring young people, to strengthening community resilience, caring for the environment and enriching the district’s cultural life, this year’s awardees have made an outstanding contribution to Heretaunga Hastings.

Read more https://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/home/article/3909/civic-honour-awards-celebrate-community-contributions-to-hastings?t=featured&s=1