New Pages: Mate by Regan Taylor

Part of Breaking Ground 2026

New Pages intentionally carves out space for the earliest phase of the creative process, inviting you into the room when characters and concepts are still fluid and shifting. It captures the essence of trusting the story before completely understanding it.

Mate is the new work-in-development by writer Regan Taylor (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pikiao), a Wellington-based theatre maker, director, actor, tutor, writer, occasional troublemaker and all-round theatre lover. 

Regan is a graduate of the UCOL Theatre School, he's been making, directing, performing and teaching theatre across Aotearoa and Australia for the past 25 years. He's a regular director for Taki Rua and their Te Reo Māori seasons and Toi Whakaari – New Zealand Drama School, and is a founding member of Te Rēhia Theatre in Auckland. Next up, Regan is making a new touring show with The Māori Sidesteps, releasing Resilience, the latest children's album with The KaRs, and getting stuck into writing. 

Breaking Ground returns for another year of intensive Indigenous new writing. Our festival has created space for bold and brilliant new works in Te Whanganui-a-Tara since its inception in 2010. 

Artists are a vital part of our communities and the current landscape presents fewer and fewer opportunities for us to gather, to wānanga, and to create. The 2026 programme responds to the growing need to hold on to spaces where writers can thrive and where the iconic stories of tomorrow can be unearthed. 

Breaking Ground is produced by Te Whanganui-a-Tara based creative company, Tawata Productions, and made possible by our partners Wellington City Council and Creative New Zealand.

7:30pm Friday 20 November 2026

See Ticketing T&Cs.