A Story of Displacement, Identity, and Survival

Set during the summer of 1965, the narrative follows Hone, a man who relocates his whānau from the East Cape to the South Island in pursuit of opportunity. What unfolds over a beachside birthday hāngī—shared with their Pākehā neighbours, is a slow-burning unravelling. Cultural tensions simmer, buried truths rise, and the fragile threads holding this family together begin to strain.

Far from home and caught between worlds, The Homeland interrogates a powerful question: can identity endure when place is stripped away?

Lyrical Power and Haunting Vision

First conceived in 1995, Kouka’s work remains a deeply personal meditation on displacement and belonging. Now, in 2026, its resonance feels even sharper. The production’s lyrical cadence, echoing the emotional intensity of Tennessee Williams, blends poetic dialogue with surging emotional force.

Visually, the staging is nothing short of hypnotic. It shifts seamlessly between the dense timber landscapes of the South Island, the spiritual memory of the East Cape, and an ever-present ancestral realm. There’s a haunting sense that the past is never truly gone, that it walks alongside the living, guiding, warning, and, at times, confronting.

Like the cinematic humanism of Elia Kazan, this is theatre that cuts deep, an unflinching exploration of family, culture, and the cost of assimilation.

Performances That Burn Bright

At the centre of it all is Regan Taylor as Hone (or John, as he renames himself to navigate a Pākehā world). Taylor delivers a commanding, volcanic performance; equal parts restraint and eruption. His Hone is a man driven by duty, yet haunted by fear, and Taylor captures that internal fracture with gripping intensity. There’s a magnetic, almost Marlon Brando-esque presence in his work that anchors the entire production.

Opposite him, Erina Daniels shines as Sue/Wai te Atatū, bringing warmth, resilience, and quiet heartbreak to the role. Her performance builds to moments of profound emotional release, particularly in the second act, where her character’s optimism collides with devastating reality.

Supporting turns from Rongopai Tickell, Tioreore Ngatai-Mebourne, and Te Mihi Potae add further texture and emotional weight, each performance contributing to the play’s rich tapestry of voices.

Then there is Anatonio Te Maioha — an original cast member, whose presence as a guiding ancestral spirit imbues the production with immense mana. He is the soul of the piece, grounding its emotional and spiritual core with quiet authority.

Final Verdict: A Theatrical Experience That Lingers

Waiora Te Ūkaipō – The Homeland is not passive viewing; it’s an experience. A deeply felt, spiritually charged journey that explores heritage, identity, and the enduring pull of home. Kouka’s words land with thunderous impact, and this production ensures they echo long after the curtain falls.

As an opening salvo for 2026, Auckland Theatre Company has delivered something extraordinary: a production that doesn’t just honour a classic, but reclaims it; boldly, fiercely, and with unrelenting emotional truth.

Waiora Te Ūkaipō – The Homeland is playing now at Auckland Theatre Company. Get tickets here.

Image: Auckland Theatre Company

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A crowd of excited and eager cinemagoers packed into the Kiri te Kanawa Theatre at Aotea Centre to enjoy this one and they were rewarded with an incredible experience. While I see multiple films a year, I’ve never been able to experience the beauty of a film through an ‘in concert’ experience, and I’ve gotta say I would highly recommend the experience.

Steven Spielberg’s classic 1982 film came alive even more with the presence of an orchestral score played live in front of it, and while watching the film this way you become even more enwrapped in its story and the emotional journey of the characters of Elliot (Henry Thomas) and E.T. even further. There’s something to be said for the power of live music and added together with the beauty of Speilberg’s imagery and storytelling, I found myself transported even further into this story.

It was simply marvellous to see the performances of Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton and a very young Drew Barrymore in this film again and all those classic feelings and emotions of watching this film all came back to me. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is a story of family, friendship, connection and above all love, and presented in this format it was that much more special and beautiful to experience and it’s themes and meanings were felt by all in the immediate present, and especially by me.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial remains as one of my top five films of all-time, and to see it presented like this, as a concert film, was something extraordinary. What’s more, it was a communal event, with a packed out theatre audience, and an orchestra who were highly engaged in bringing the magic of John Williams classic film score to life. The presence of a live orchestra accompanying the film made the experience of watching E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial that much more exciting and it was almost like I was watching this film for the first time again.

The presence of an intermission, a tradition that many moviegoers are now foreign to, also leant considerable impact to the film as you were able to take a pause to think on the experience of the film, it’s storytelling and just how the presence of the orchestra made this experience that much more impactful. I also found with such a large audience, many of it made up of young families, that there was a grand joy and energy in this showing and for many in the audience this was the first time that they’d ever had the chance to view E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. And they loved it all the more for it, with my own guest, who herself had never ever seen it commenting, “this one truly touched my heart. I just love it.”

I’ve often said that my favourite part of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is the resurrection of E.T. and the exciting bike chase through the San Fernando Valley that followed and the presence of a live orchestra really amped this up. The performance of William’s score by the Auckland Philharmonic in this key scene brought out a pace and energy to it, and your eyes opened further to the excitement and wonder of seeing Elliot, E.T. and his friends soar above the forest as they made their way to return E.T. home again. This scene has gone down in history as one of the most exciting pieces of cinema ever filmed, and the presence of a live orchestra made it even more so when watching it this way.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in Concert was simply a beautiful experience to be a part of. While COVID-19 has made the presence of live events hard to come by, and at certain points throughout both this year and last year it felt like the magic of the movies might have all but disappeared, this presentation of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial proved that not only are audiences ready to return to the theatre but that the power of cinema has not lost its grasp and that beautiful stories will always be celebrated.

The Auckland Arts Festival is now live and will run from March 10 – April 11. Details of events and showtimes can be viewed here.

Image: Auckland Arts Festival

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As part of the 2021 Auckland Arts Festival, a world-class, all-Aotearoa curated collection with 70+ performances and event, audiences will be able to able to experience E.T. once more, only this time it will be coming to the big screen accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, for the first time in NZ.

Experience the magic of director Steven Spielberg’s beloved movie with John Williams’ Academy Award-winning score performed live by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

This special screening of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial will take place on Saturday March 13, 7pm at Kiri te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre and details about the event can be found here.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a film filled hope, magic and love and audiences should take full advantage of this amazing opportunity to see it in concert and re-live the wonder of this classic film.

For more information about the Auckland Arts Festival click here.

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