Tufuga Arts Trust

Tufuga: creative hands, mind and spirit Charitable Trust has emerged from a need to enable social inclusion for people with mental health disabilities to be able to express who and where they are in their society. Tufuga shares the philosophy of Arts Access: this is one of positive social engagement, linking to creating income and fostering a sense of belonging and social cohesion through celebration of the arts.

Counties Manukau has many individuals identified as having limited access to the arts because of their mental health disability. Tufuga has been established from this identified need and consultation with the wider community. It is a community-based initiative that currently provides access to the arts for people on the margins of society with a focus on those with mental health disabilities.