OVĀ Collective and Te Papa serve up a celebration of ballroom culture
Five years after Wellington’s debut Vogue Ball, the creative capital will host its largest celebration of ballroom culture.
Presented by The Kiki House of Marama, OVĀ Collective and Te Papa, a dazzling programme of events will commemorate five years of the growing Wellington Ballroom scene.
A Vogue Ball is a vibrant competition rooted in Queer Black and Latinx ballroom culture, where participants showcase dance, fashion, and performance, most notably through the stylised art of voguing.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara will come alive with community workshops, a panel discussion, and a series of ballroom workshops, culminating in The Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball – Wellington’s biggest Vogue Ball.
Rachel Fox, Te Papa Public Programming Manager, acknowledges how special it’s been to work with OVĀ Collective over the past year.
“The Kiki House of Marama are trailblazers of the Ballroom scene here in Wellington, and it’s a real privilege for Te Papa to be part of this kaupapa.”
“The partnership reflects our commitment to supporting our rainbow Pacific and Māori communities and celebrating the diverse voices and cultural expressions of Aotearoa.”
Drawing both local and international attendees, the programme not only amplifies the city’s reputation as the creative capital, and a vibrant, cultural destination, but also deepen its global cultural connections.
“We’re thrilled to be able to bring together local talent, and host Ballroom Icons and Legends from USA, France and Australia, many coming to Aotearoa for the first time,” adds Fox.
“These influential figures and international icons have made significant contributions to their own scenes. We’re grateful they will host a special panel talk that delves into the world of Ballroom, its history and culture, how it found its way to the shores of Aotearoa, and its growing presence here in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.”
Formed after Wellington’s inaugural Vogue Ball in 2020, The Kiki House of Marama is Wellington’s first Ballroom House and has since grown to a whānau of 16 Māori, Pasifika, Black, Asian, queer, and trans individuals who are counting down the days to the House’s first Grand Ball.
“Ballroom is more than performance. It’s protest, resistance, family, healing. It’s about creating space for our people to shine, be seen, and to be celebrated,” says Karamera and Romé, co-Mothers of the Kiki House of Marama.
“We dreamed of having this kind of space when we first came together as a house; somewhere our community could show up fully, unapologetically, and be celebrated.
“For us, it’s also deeply personal. It’s about honouring our whakapapa, our chosen families, and the joy we feel when we’re seen and supported. We’re not just walking the runway; we’re reclaiming space in the heart of our city.”
The workshops, panel talk, and grand Ball will be documented for a film to be released in the near future.
Key Events
● Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 September: Pop-up Ballroom introduction workshops (Hutt Central and Porirua)
● Thursday 2 October: Panel discussion with local and international Ballroom leaders
● Friday 3 October: Ballroom workshop with international Ballroom Icons and Legend
● Saturday 4 October: The Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball at Te Papa
More info: tepapa.nz/MaramaBall
Tickets and website go live 5.30pm, Saturday 6 September.
ENDS
Media contact Heather Byrne | 029 601 0120 | heather.byrne@tepapa.govt.nz
Photos and captions
Please note that this content is being supplied to you for the purposes of the Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball press release only. Media may not crop, alter, or edit the images in any way without Te Papa’s prior permission. The content must be fully attributed as per the provided credit line(s).
Image captions
House of Marama Wellington Ballroom Workshops 2022 (Wellington Central, WLG). Photo by K-Ci Marama
The Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball, Ballroom Panel Talk speakers from left to right: Icon Matyouz Royalty, Icon Arturo Mulan, Legendary Founding Mother Jaycee Iman, Founding Mother Romé Marama, Founding Mother Karamera Marama. Photo courtesy of The Grand Kiki House of Marama
Virgin Vogue Battle ft. Keila Iman and Kiwi Marama at the Fictional Ball 2022 (Wellington Central, WLG). Photo by Amio Renati Waaka
OTA Performance ft. Godfather Prada Dawn at the Bluest Ball 2024 (Lower Hutt, WLG). Photo by Lewis Ferris
The Kiki House of Marama House Debut at the 4th Annual Alexander Ball 2023 (Brisbane, AUS). Photo by Larry Lim, People Talk Co
Notes to editor
Ballroom is a queer subculture, and a safe space created in the late 1960s, forged by the Black and Latinx trans women, and queer Americans extensively, in protest against the racism and queerphobia that they faced from the non-queer community and white queer community.
A Vogue Ball is a competitive Ballroom event, deeply rooted in Queer Black and Latinx ballroom culture, where participants compete in various categories, often centred around dance and fashion.
The Aotearoa Ballroom scene was ignited by Māori and MVPFAFF+ youth in Tāmaki Makaurau over 10 years ago and has since inspired other leaders across the motu to forge their own Ballroom communities in their respective cities.
About OVĀ Collective
OVĀ is an emerging QIPOC-led collective based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, creating spaces for performance art, activation, activism and exploration.
Born through Ballroom, the collective exists to grow themselves and others through creativity, artistry and telling untold stories with radical joy, katas and love.
About the Kiki House of Marama
The Kiki House of Marama was formed after meeting at Wellington’s first Ball in 2020, The Aitu Ball. They were inspired to start Wellington’s first Ballroom Kiki house and since then, have grown into a whānau consisting of 16 Māori, Pasifika, Black, Asian, queer, and trans individuals who collectively have competed and won Grand Prizes in Aotearoa, Australia, Asia and Europe.
They are trailblazers of the Ballroom scene in Te Whanganui-a-Tara and have brought Ballroom culture to various festivals, including Fringe Festival, Kia Mau Festival, CubaDupa, 121 Festival and Nest Fest (Napier) hosting numerous events such as the Fictional Ball, the Bluest Ball, the CubaDupa Ball, Vogue Nights, community workshops and fundraisers.
About Te Papa
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, known as Te Papa, is Aotearoa New Zealand's much-loved national museum, located in Wellington.
Te Papa houses the national art collection and a major research facility, and is kaitiaki (guardian) of over two million objects across Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), Natural History, Art, New Zealand Histories, and Pacific Cultures. Its online collection offers access to over 1 million of these taonga (treasures).
Since opening in 1998, Te Papa has welcomed over 35 million visitors from around the world, and in July 2025, was recognised as TripAdvisor’s top tourist attraction in New Zealand and top 1% worldwide. Te Papa was also named the #1 attraction in New Zealand in 2024.
As one of New Zealand's most well-known and trusted brands, it’s also world-renowned for its foundation in biculturalism, research partnerships, and internationally significant work in the repatriation of Māori and Moriori ancestral remains from collections worldwide.
The museum is free for all New Zealanders.