Ordinary Wonders

Ordinary Wonders is a FREE collaborative community storytelling and visual arts exhibition, where everyday memories are transformed into original works of art, proudly brought to you by Hikitia! Te Tauihu, in partnership with Tāwera and Hiwa.

Community members have shared personal stories about ordinary moments that helped them feel happy, safe, cared for, connected, or like they belonged.

Each story has been paired with a local artist, who has created an original artwork inspired by that memory. Together, these stories and artworks celebrate the people, relationships, and places that help shape safe, connected, and thriving communities.

NOTE: The exhibition is open to the public and tickets are NOT required.

Programme of Events

Alongside the exhibition, featuring, more than 80 artworks, there is a four-week programme of workshops, performances, conversations, films, and creative experiences exploring connection, relationships, and community wellbeing.

Explore the full programme and register for events by following this link: Ordinary Wonders Programme. Some artists and storytellers will be present, and may choose to share their experiences, while others have chosen to remain anonymous.

All events are FREE, but registration is encouraged, with limited places available for some workshops.

More than an art exhibition, Ordinary Wonders makes visible the protective factors that help prevent family violence, sexual violence, and child sexual abuse before harm occurs.

Through storytelling, creativity, and shared experiences, it encourages us to reflect on the everyday acts of care, belonging, and connection that strengthen wellbeing and help create communities where violence is less likely to occur.

About Hikitia!

Hikitia! Te Tauihu is RISE’s ACC-funded primary prevention mahi focused on preventing family violence, sexual violence, and child sexual abuse before it happens.

At Hikitia! Te Tauihu, we believe prevention is about creating the conditions that allow people, whānau, and communities to flourish.

While responding to violence is essential, lasting change comes from strengthening the protective factors and conditions that help people experience safety, belonging, connection, identity, and healthy relationships throughout their lives.

We work alongside communities, iwi, community organisations, schools, faith communities, government agencies, businesses, artists, and local leaders to make these conditions more visible, more accessible, and more deeply embedded in everyday life.

Ordinary Wonders is a very special community exhibition and series of events celebrating arts in action at Tāwera, the new Whakatū Nelson arts hub venue, at Millers Acre.

Image by B Heine, Ordinary Wonders Pilot Project with NMIT students, 2025.

Ordinary Wonders | 15th August 2026 - 16th September 2026