Tanya Muagututi'a

Tanya is a core founder of Pacific Underground which began in Christchurch in 1993 and is the country’s longest running Pacific performing arts organisation. It had offices upstairs at the Dux de Lux in the Arts Centre, and helped launch the careers of Oscar Kightley (Naked Samoans, Brotown), Ladi6, Brent Parkes, Scribe, Dallas Tamaira, David Fane, Chris Searle and many more. In 2016 Pacific Underground was awarded the lifetime achievement award at the Pacific Music Awards. 

Fresh Off the Boat (1993) written by Oscar Kightley and Simon Small remains Pacific Underground’s flagship theatre production and this premiered at the Free Theatre in our former Rolleston Ave home in the Arts Centre. The collective has collaborated with Free Theatre on Canterbury Tales (2013).

​Canterbury Tales interview with Tanya Muagututi'a and George Parker on RNZ Arts on Sunday in 2013.