23 March – 4 May 2025
tuku whakatū
Six weeks of events to share (tuku) Nelson’s unique stories of people and place.
Congratulations to all of this year’s event hosts who will run all of the Tuku 25 events!
the Tuku 25 Programme is now Live!
This year’s events and activities are a vibrant and exciting demonstration of Nelson’s cultural heritage.
Tuku 25 Whakatū aims to tuku (share) stories of people and place from across the region. From exploring Māori sculpture, Indian craft traditions and even a cemetery tour.
With 70 event listings and 20 displays and other activities, the programme has something for everyone. Take a look at the programme below.
(Printed programmes will be available from mid-March at Libraries and other public buildings).
all Tuku festival events work on the same principle:
passionate “event hosts” create the events that deliver all those magic moments for the festival goers.
Nelson City Council is immensely proud that each year, over 80% of all the festival events are delivered not by its staff, but ‘by the community, for the community’.
How Tuku 25 Whakatū supports you
Tuku 25 is a well-resourced platform to launch your heritage themed event and benefit from our $25,000 marketing campaign, to share it with the community.
We also offer $25,000 of community grants to those that need a little extra support. Grants generally range from $500 to $2000. Grants aim to subsidise event costs to keep charges for attendance down (ideally free). In this way, you can help the whole community access your activity. See our advice and the criteria for receiving a grant in our information pack.
Tuku 24 Whakatū was a blast!
Tuku 24 Whakatū delivered 120 events that were enjoyed by an estimated 18,000 people.
The cultural diversity of events rose for the fifth year running, making Tuku the most culturally diverse council-led Heritage Festival in New Zealand.
Click here to see how the festival is tracking.
Programmes & reports
