Bold New Event Bridges Creativity, Business, And Regional Identity

A landmark event for Hawke’s Bay, called CREATE 2025, is set to bring businesses and creatives together.

Under its umbrella theme, The Power of Storytelling, the one-day symposium will feature keynote talks, place-based storytelling, masterclasses and facilitated dialogue to engage the region’s diverse arts, culture and creative sectors, and the most innovative business minds.

Held at the Napier War Memorial Centre on Tuesday 17 June, CREATE 2025: The Power of Storytelling is planned and hosted by Ngā Toi Creative Hawke’s Bay in partnership with Ngati Kahungunu and with support from Creative New Zealand.

“This is an opportunity to examine the incredible stories emerging from our region and learn how we could better penetrate the national and global markets with them,” begins Daniel Betty, Ngā Toi Creative Hawke’s Bay trustee and event lead. “Storytelling isn’t just a tool for artists and creatives - it’s a strategic asset for us all to leverage. Through panels, conversations and networking, CREATE 2025 will help us identify our best stories and explore how we can communicate them in ways that attract investment and inspire innovation.”

Renowned guests include David Downs – celebrated business leader, cancer survivor, author, and CEO of New Zealand Story – film producer Emma Slade, and brand expert Kim Thorp, plus representatives from iwi, tourism, logistics, the arts, media production and more.

Daniel says Ngā Toi is especially delighted to involve Downs in the event.  Known for his engaging insights and deeply human approach to storytelling, “David brings a national lens to local conversations,” explains Daniel. “I think he’ll be able to offer a compelling perspective on how we sell our stories, and our strengths, to the world.”

The genesis of CREATE 2025 was a simple provocation from Ngati Kahungunu, Daniel says. “Their leaders said to me ‘In Te Matau-a-Māui we see the sun rise but not the sun set.’ It was an interesting metaphor that captured the spirit of Hawke’s Bay – a place of birth, growth and optimism but one that has lacked a unified platform for cross-sector storytelling.”

He acknowledges that the challenges of Covid-19, Cyclone Gabrielle and economic disruption have further hampered Hawke’s Bay’s ability to champion its own stories. “Now, we have the chance to come together and reflect on how the region moves forward, not by returning to the status quo, but by co-designing a future that better integrates the stories of its people and places. My hope is that CREATE becomes an annual regional event celebrating Hawke’s Bay’s unique identity.”

To deepen the connection between delegates, Ngā Toi has also released tickets for an exclusive, but optional, evening event: an intimate dinner at Black Barn Bistro. With limited seats, the dinner offers a rare opportunity for face-to-face dialogue between some of the region’s most dynamic creators and business leaders. Tables are already being booked by organisations committed to shaping the region’s next chapter. “I expect there will be plenty of conversations at those tables about how storytelling can become a tool for regional growth and global relevance.”

“It’s just another way in which we hope to spark debate, stimulate the exchange of ideas, and hold space to shape something new.”

CREATE 2025 offers a scholarship programme for local creatives who may not be able to afford to purchase a ticket to the symposium. There are sponsorship and partnership opportunities too, for businesses and organisations interested in supporting Ngā Toi Creative Hawke’s Bay, the CREATE 2025 symposium, celebration dinner or funding a scholarship.

Hawke’s Bay is already home to global leaders in technology (Fingermark), design (David Trubridge), performance (Kahurangi Māori Dance Company) and more. Yet, says Daniel, much of its success remains under the radar. “The fact is that we are so rich in narrative potential,” Daniel says. “Imagine the creative solutions we can find to surface some of these stories through this symposium!”

For more information on CREATE 2025: The Power of Storytelling and to purchase tickets to the symposium and/or Black Barn Bistro dinner, please visit https://www.ngatoihawkesbay.co.nz/

ABOUT NGĀ TOI

Ngā Toi Creative Hawke’s Bay is the region’s leading arts organisation, championing the voices and visions of local creators. It acts as a strategic connector between the creative sector, business, and community, advocating for the role of creativity in regional growth and wellbeing. Ngā Toi supports a wide range of disciplines, from visual artists and performers to storytellers, filmmakers, and designers. Its board comprises Chair Te Rangi Huata, alongside local trustees Alastair Cromie, Daniel Betty, Philip Lascelles and Annabel Taylor. Through leadership, events, and collaboration, Ngā Toi exists to uplift and unify Hawke’s Bay’s creative identity, ensuring the region’s stories are heard, valued, and shared locally and globally.

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