Three leading wāhine Māori artists to open The Lightship's 2026/27 programme
Australasia's largest public art lightwall will once again illuminate Auckland's waterfront this spring, with three leading wāhine Māori artists launching First Light - The Lightship's 2026/27 curatorial programme.
The opening programme features new commissions by Nova Paul, Ana Iti and Ashleigh Taupaki - three leading wāhine Māori artists whose practices explore language, whenua, whakapapa and ecology.
Presented by Port of Auckland and curated by Simon Bowerbank, First Light brings six newly commissioned contemporary artworks to The Lightship across a year-long public art programme.
Stretching 110 metres across Bledisloe Wharf, standing 13 metres high and illuminated by approximately 8,500 LED lights, The Lightship has become one of Auckland's most distinctive public art experiences over the past six years, transforming working port infrastructure into a free outdoor gallery where art, industry and public life meet.
First Light Opening Artists
First Light explores one of Aotearoa's defining experiences: arrival. Through six newly commissioned works presented across the year, the programme reflects on welcome, belonging and connection to place, considering the relationships between harbour, land and city, and between mana whenua and manuhiri.
Nova Paul, Ana Iti and Ashleigh Taupaki will present the first three opening commissions in First Light.
Nova Paul is an internationally recognised artist and filmmaker whose work has screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Ana Iti is the recipient of the Walters Prize, Ashleigh Taupaki is a multidisciplinary artist and writer. Together, their practices explore language, whenua, whakapapa and ecology through sculpture, moving image, film and research.
17 September – 31 October 2026: Nova Paul (b. 1973) - Te Uriroroi, Te Parawhau, Te Māhurehure ki Whatitiri, Ngāpuhi
1 November – 31 December 2026: Ana Iti (b. 1989) - Te Rarawa, Ngāi Tūpoto, Ngāti Here, Pākehā
1 January – 28 February 2027: Ashleigh Taupaki (b. 1997) - Ngāti Hako, Sāmoan
Three further artist commissions will be announced in early 2027, completing the six-part First Light programme.
Julie Wagener, General Manager Communications, Government and Community Relations at Port of Auckland, says: “Over the past six years, The Lightship has transformed working port infrastructure into a platform for ambitious contemporary public art, creating a place where art, industry and public life come together on Auckland's waterfront.
"First Light continues that legacy by bringing together an exceptional group of wāhine artists whose work invites audiences to reflect on arrival, belonging and connection to place. We're proud to once again make world-class contemporary art freely accessible to Aucklanders and visitors alike."
Simon Bowerbank, Curator of The Lightship, says: "Arrival is one of Aotearoa's defining experiences, and First Light asks what it means to arrive in a place — physically, culturally and emotionally.
"Each artist approaches those ideas in a unique way, creating works that speak to whenua, whakapapa, language and ecology while offering audiences new ways of seeing Auckland's waterfront.
"Part of what makes The Lightship so unique is that artists never truly know how their work will appear until it comes to life across thousands of LEDs stretching 110 metres across the waterfront. There's something special about that sense of discovery, both for the artists and for audiences experiencing the work."
First Light launches on 17 September 2026 and is free to experience every evening from dusk until dawn at The Lightship, Bledisloe Wharf.
EVENT DETAILS
What: First Light - The Lightship 2026/27 Public Art Programme
Launch: Thursday 17 September 2026
Where: The Lightship, Bledisloe Wharf, Port of Auckland
Viewing: Free - Every night from dusk until dawn
To find out more about The Lightship, or upcoming artist installations, visit www.thelightship.co.nz
Photo: Jess Johnson and Simon Ward - I Have No Body, and I Must Move - The Lightship 2025
