Waipā Creative Trail

03/09/2026

We’ve got your Friday night sorted.

Join Caroline Peacocke for the opening of her exhibition, Lessons from the land.

Come along, see Caroline’s latest work and help celebrate the opening of the exhibition.

🗓️ Friday 4 September
⏰ 5.30pm
📍ArtsPost, 120 Victoria Street, Hamilton

Lessons from the Land runs until 26 September.

Caroline Peacocke Art

13/08/2026

Artists and creatives in Te Awamutu, Kihikihi, Pirongia and the surrounding areas, would you like to be listed in the new Love Te Awamutu magazine?

Organised by Te Awamutu Business Chamber and Te Awamutu Information & Visitor Centre, Love Te Awamutu will celebrate our town and neighbouring communities — the people, places, businesses and stories that help shape who we are.

And local creativity is part of that.

The magazine will include a directory of local artists and creatives, and we want to make sure you know about this opportunity.

Designed as a beautiful, long-lasting publication, Love Te Awamutu will make its way onto coffee tables, into cafés and businesses, and around our community.

If you're an artist or creative based in Te Awamutu, Kihikihi, Pirongia or the immediate surrounding areas and would like to know more about being included, comment below or send us a DM.

And please tag or share this with a local creative who should know about it.

07/08/2026

Arts Access Aotearoa is hosting a workshop in Hamilton later this month, exploring practical ways to make the arts more accessible for Deaf and disabled people.

If you're involved in the arts and want to create more inclusive experiences, this could be a valuable opportunity.

For more information, head to their website:
https://artsaccess.org.nz/arts-for-all-network-programme-2026

05/08/2026

An event for your diary: Beyond the Block - Printmaking Exhibition

This exhibition features a selection of prints from WSA’s Experimental Printmaking class.

🗓️ Aug 8 – 30
⏰ Open Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm (except Saturday, closes at 3pm)
📍 Artspost Hamilton

Exhibition open for viewing.

Official opening coincides with the opening of Waiprint 2026 - Saturday 8th August 2026 at 12.30pm

ArtsPost Galleries and Shop
120 Victoria St
Hamilton

03/08/2026

Dates to add to your calendar. And creatives, be sure to check out opportunities to be involved.

💃🥳Guess who's back. Back again. ArtBeat's back. Tell a friend... 🥳💃

That's right! Put the date on the calendar, tell the relatives you are busy because October the 17th & 18th you will be at the Ōtorohanga Museum listening to some great local music, chatting with some awesome local artists and admiring and maybe buying some sweet local art!

Keen for more info or to be a part of this festival? Then keep your eyes open on the Ōtorohanga Creative Conduit page as we begin to dazzle and amaze you! Or maybe just mildly amuse you. We'll take it.😁😁😁

10/06/2026

A big shout-out to Alex!

In addition to helping bring this year's Waipā Creative Trail to life, Alex has been preparing for a new exhibition.

Re:Tale is part of the OBJECT MAKER AOTEAROA Fellowship and opens this Friday at The Arts House Trust.

Alex's work will be exhibited alongside fellow artists Juliana Durán, Mel Ford, Eva Kerer, Bebay Millán, Birgit Moffatt, Samuel Montgomery, and Sarah Ziessen.

A passionate advocate for creativity and community, Alex is always encouraging others to share their work, develop their skills, and get involved. And she's such a great role model for that.

Congratulations, Alex!

P.S. We can't wait for you to confirm whether the piece in your hand is part of the exhibition or just there to throw us off the scent!

📸 This is an image from Alex's socials. OMG, it's fabulous!

Mystery Creek Ceramics

08/06/2026

If you're heading to the Feildays this week, stop by the Creative Zone and visit Caroline.

Here you'll find a fantastic exhibition of David Henshaw's work, from original landscapes and botanicals to quality reproductions of his iconic cartoons and books.

Along with Caroline, members of the Henshaw family will be on hand to share insights into David’s creative process, discuss the artworks on display, reflect on recent exhibitions, and explore what inspired David throughout his life and practice.

Sounds amazing! We can't wait to visit.

Site: HV7

Caroline Peacocke Art

06/06/2026

More than 100 visitors to Dee’s open studio picked up a paintbrush and painted a triangle or square.

Now Dee has the exciting task of bringing all those individual pieces together into one collaborative artwork.

Who wants to see what it looks like when it's finished?

📸 The pieces painted during the Trail at Dee's studio.
Dee Wilson - Artist

06/06/2026

The Trail may be over for another year, but the creativity continues!

We'll be keeping up with the artists and creatives who took part, sharing their projects, celebrating their achievements, and letting you know what they're working on next.

And we'd love to hear from you, too.

How has the Trail inspired you?

Maybe you've picked up a hobby you've been meaning to explore, booked a class or workshop, felt inspired to create again, or discovered a new appreciation for local creativity.

What's changed for you since the Trail? We'd love to hear.

📸 The Waipā Collective crew - Caroline (Caroline Peacocke Art), Kirsty (Elfinthings), Mary (.martin.art), Lisa () and Rebecca (Somewhere) - at the end of the Trail once the Art House had been packed down.

01/06/2026

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the Waipā Creative Trail visitor survey.

We really appreciate your feedback and enjoyed hearing about your experience. Your comments help us understand what worked well and where we can make improvements for future events.

A few themes stood out in the feedback.

Many visitors loved meeting artists and creatives in person, discovering new places across Waipā, and experiencing the wide variety of creativity on display.

We also received suggestions for future Trails, including ideas to make the experience even easier and more engaging for visitors.

Everyone who completed the survey and provided their name went into the draw to win a beautiful Mystery Creek vase valued at $130.

Congratulations to our winner...
🎉 Anna Holmes 🎉

We'll be in touch to arrange delivery of your prize.

Thank you again for helping make the 2026 Waipā Creative Trail such a success. We appreciate your support, your feedback, and your enthusiasm for celebrating creativity in our community.

- Alex & Tracey