Dolina Wehipeihana
Dolina Wehipeihana (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Raukawa) is a producer, arts manager and dance artist. In 2021 she won the Te Waka Toi Ngā Tohu award Hautūtanga Auaha Toi | Making a Difference Award, which recognises leadership and outstanding contribution to the development of new directions in ngā toi Māori.
A founding member of Atamira Dance Collective, Dolina has worked with some of Aotearoa’s leading dance and theatre companies and independent artists as a dancer, choreographer, dramaturg and producer. A key theme of her career has been advocating for and with Indigenous contemporary theatre and dance makers building spaces and platforms for artists to create, develop and present work. Since 2012, she has been working in Festivals, with a previous role as Head of Programming at Auckland Arts Festival and current role as General Manager of Kia Mau Festival. Dolina is also Kaiarahi Māori at PANNZ (Performing Arts Network New Zealand), an independent producer through Betsy & Mana Productions Ltd, a member of Ngā Hua Toi and Te Rōpu Mana Toi, and co-chair of Atamira Dance Collective Charitable Trust.
What does leadership look like to you?
Dolina:
When I think about leadership I think about vision, trust and bravery. Leaders I’ve been inspired by and have been lucky enough to work with have an abundant curiosity for change and forging new paths to see what is around the corner. They’re solid in belief in the power and value of the kaupapa, and have superpowers at communicating it. They hold space for others.
I hope for leaders who show up ready to work, with aroha and generosity. I think my favourite style of leadership is a shared leadership, harnessing the wisdom of everyone involved. I love the exploration of the word rangatira, weaving a group. And I’m interested how you can act with leadership – even when you’re not the leader – applying qualities of leadership to different situations and places, and at different stages and ages.
How does your community show up in your practice?
Dolina: Having a shared sense of purpose motivates me. I’m part of a community of Māori and Indigenous contemporary theatre and dance makers, and their work, arts practice and the stories they have to share inspires me. We want our community to be thriving, visible, excited, happy. So we get about trying to help that happen in a multitude of ways, whether that be by the delivery of creative projects, the creation of sovereign spaces, or ensuring Indigenous artists are properly nurtured in other spaces – as they belong and deserve to thrive there too. The pursuit of hauora and well-being for Māori is pretty central for me, and I’m also part of a community of Māori families raising our tamariki in Tāmaki Makaurau. I believe hauora comes from connection to whenua, whakapapa, whānau, reo and Toi.
