te kapa ō te kāhui

We are a collective of young creatives, united by a shared passion for our community and the transformative power of the arts.

A woman with long curly dark hair wearing large purple and green flower-shaped earrings and a bright green shirt, smiling softly.

Ruby Macomber

Ruby is a Tāmaki Makaurau-based creative writer, student and storyteller of Moana-Nui a-Kiwa. She is both a Community Outreach Manager and Facilitator in our Te Kāhui team, curating culturally safe environments for rangatahi to explore their sense of self and cultural identity.

Co-Manager

A smiling woman with black hair, wearing gold hoop earrings and a necklace with a shell pendant, posing against a green background.

Sherry Zhang

Sherry is a Tāmaki Makaurau-based writer, editor, creative and freelance journalist. Her family is from Fujian, China. She is the co-manager of Te Kāhui, curating safe environments for rangatahi to explore their sense of self and cultural identity.

Co-Manager

A young man with short dark hair and a beard, wearing a black blazer and pink patterned shirt, standing outdoors on a rooftop with a cityscape in the background and decorative hanging glass objects above.

Eric is a Samoan/Tongan activist, artist and academic based out of South Auckland. The 2019 National Slam Poetry Champion of New Zealand, Eric works as a facilitator in our Te Kāhui team, curating culturally safe environments for rangatahi to explore their sense of self and cultural identity.

Facilitation Lead

Eric Soakai

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Phodiso Dintwe is a songwriter, singer, rapper, actor and poet, originally from Gaborone in Botswana. Phodiso is a facilitator in our Te Kāhui team, curating culturally safe environments for rangatahi to explore their sense of self and cultural identity.

Creative Strategy Lead

Phodiso Dintwe

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Siobhan Steedman

Creative Writing Facilitator

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Sheldon Rua

Sheldon Rua is a Māori and Samoan, multidisciplinary creative born in Papakura, South Auckland. His street dance and spoken word poetry has been shared around the world online and at various events throughout Aotearoa. Through his creative work, Sheldon aims to recreate positive energy with humility and be a catalyst for change in every space he steps into.

Creative Writing Facilitator