Upcoming community events

Ōtaki College again presents their annual fundraising event for Matariki. A community Matariki Night Market, with impressive headline guest musician Casual Healing, plus their own Ōtaki College Kapa Haka Roopu – bands: Cut the Power, The Pretty Boys, fire performances and Wellington’s Makume Taiko Drummers. Fully established as one of the celebrated family events around the time of Matariki in Ōtaki the Ōtaki College Night Market is into its third year. Bigger, brighter and more beautiful than ever with local schools making and providing stunning lanterns to decorate. There will be twinkling lights and fire, many gorgeous stalls with beautiful locally crafted products, tastefully curated recycled clothing, copious food stalls providing an array of delicious Kai of many kinds for your dinner (from cultural to contemporary and beyond) and a stunning line up of musicians to entertain you while you eat in the cozy, lounge like hall. Turn up early with the whole family and dress warmly, meet the local kids and community manning the lovely stalls, browse and choose what you’d like to eat from the food trucks and food stalls and head to the toasty hall to be entertained by our students, local musicians and be ‘musically heart-warmed’ by the one and only Casual Healing. Casual Healing Intimacy, connection – human and spiritual – has been embedded into the foundations of Nikau Te Huki’s artistry. For over six years, the journey this Pōneke-based creative has been on has yielded incredible musical results that have mirrored life experiences loved, lived and learned from. His soulful solo project Casual Healing is a perfect example of Nikau’s creative vision and emotional intelligence coming together with balance and impact. 2024 was a breakthrough year for Casual Healing, as his brand of Māori roots-reggae fusion continued to gain traction at home in Aotearoa, while also seeding itself brilliantly across a string of successful shows in Australia. Armed with DRIFTWOOD – named one of Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s ‘Best New Zealand Albums of 2024’ – Casual Healing became a fresh champion for Aotearoa’s thriving music scene outside of his home nation, and was recognised as such. Ever aware of the power of his platform, as well as the power of music, Nikau completed this DRIFTWOOD arc with knowledge and self-awareness about him that has been taken into the studio; the multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter readying his next layered Casual Healing project. Don’t miss the wonderful Ōtaki College Matariki Night Market!