Pride Month has kicked off in Tāmaki Makaurau with an immersive performance called 'Te Tīmatanga'.
The show intertwines dance, kapa haka, taonga pūoro and even the circus.
"There's not many Māori circus acts at the moment so we'll be let in on that," Kiriana Sheree, one of the performers, said. "it's going to be intense, very intense!"
It's also been an intense time for Auckland Pride co-director Hāmiora Bailey, being his first year in the role.
"Everyone is working so hard," he said. "We're all committed to putting 100 percent of ourselves into it. Because we love our community."
This year's Pride month is themed around Ki Tua/Beyond Paradise, Bailey said it's about how the past can inform our decisions for the future.
"How can we look to Moana-based knowledge systems, Te Moana-nui-a-kiwa, to kind of affirm our sense of identity here in Aotearoa," Bailey said.
Returning for Auckland Pride 2024 are also the Pride March, Pride Party and the Big Gay Out later this month.
