Draft:Kristyl Neho

• Comment: In preparing this draft, I disclose that AI assistance was used as follows: Used ChatGPT to help draft and reword text. StageCommunity (talk) 05:08, 4 October 2026 (UTC)

* Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article.  StageCommunity (talk) 04:42, 4 October 2026 (UTC)

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Kristyl Neho is a New Zealand Māori writer, actor, director, producer, playwright, broadcaster, author, public speaker, MC, facilitator and community leader of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāpuhi descent. Her career spans more than 25 years across professional theatre, screen, broadcasting, publishing, personal development and community development. She is the founder and general manager of Maia Dreams Charitable Trust and the creator of the long-running personal-development programme ConfidentMe.

Neho's wider practice includes professional theatre, theatre for tamariki and rangatahi, screen and voice work, broadcasting, public speaking and personal-development programmes.

Early life and education

Neho was raised in Hawke's Bay and has whakapapa to Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāpuhi. Her experiences of whānau, Māori culture and community have influenced both her creative practice and community work.

Neho was raised by her grandparents. Her grandfather Mane Neho worked as an undertaker, and her experiences growing up around tangihanga later influenced her theatre work.

Theatre career

Neho has worked in theatre for more than 25 years as a writer, performer, director and producer. Her body of work includes solo theatre, ensemble productions and theatre created specifically for children and rangatahi.

Her solo theatre works include Tangihanga, Warewaretia and A Thousand Thoughts a Minute.

Tangihanga

Tangihanga is a solo drama-comedy written and performed by Neho. The work follows Jess and her whānau as they gather at a marae following the death of Karanipa. Neho performs more than 30 characters in the production.

The production explores grief, whakapapa, whānau relationships, identity, secrets and belonging while combining comedy with dramatic storytelling.

Development seasons of Tangihanga were presented in 2024 at BATS Theatre in Wellington, Rotorua, Whangārei Fringe, Toitoi in Hastings and Basement Theatre in Auckland. Subsequent seasons were presented in Wellington, Rotorua, New Plymouth and Tauranga, including appearances connected with TAHI Festival, Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival, Taranaki Arts Festival and Tauranga Arts Festival.

At the 2024 Whangārei Fringe Festival, Neho received a Best Performer Award for Tangihanga.

Warewaretia

Warewaretia is a solo theatre work written, directed, produced and performed by Neho exploring Alzheimer's disease and dementia through the experiences of a whānau.

The work is inspired by Neho's experience growing up with her Nan, who raised her and lived with Alzheimer's and dementia for more than 15 years. Neho performs numerous members of the whānau, using humour and dramatic storytelling to explore the emotional and practical effects of dementia on a family.

A development season was presented at Basement Theatre in Auckland in March 2026 ahead of a national tour.

The production subsequently toured in 2026, including Kerikeri and Hastings seasons. Theatreview published further critical coverage of the production during the tour.

Theatreview critic Vincent Nathan reviewed Warewaretia in October 2026, discussing Neho's performance and the production's exploration of the effects of dementia on the wider whānau.

A Thousand Thoughts a Minute

Neho created and performed the autobiographical solo work A Thousand Thoughts a Minute. The work was presented as part of Whare Kōrero: Stories Within Stories at the Hawke's Bay Arts Festival in 2021.

Theatre for tamariki and rangatahi

A significant part of Neho's career has involved creating theatre and performing-arts programmes with and for young people. Her work has combined performing arts with personal development, confidence, resilience, identity and wellbeing.

Through Maia Dreams, Neho has developed programmes and projects for children and rangatahi including ConfidentMe, Rangatahi Leadership Wānanga and Whakaruruhau Workshops.

In 2024, RNZ reported that Maia Dreams had worked in more than 40 Hawke's Bay schools over a 15-year period, running positive empowerment programmes.

Aumangea Project

Neho led the Aumangea Project through Maia Dreams. In 2023, Hawke's Bay Today reported on the project following Cyclone Gabrielle, identifying the Aumangea Project as headed by Neho of Maia Dreams and describing its use of the arts to support personal development among kura students.

Maia Dreams Charitable Trust

Neho founded Maia Dreams Charitable Trust, a Hawke's Bay organisation focused on personal development, performing arts, mātauranga Māori, leadership and wellbeing.

The organisation identifies Neho as its founder and general manager. Hastings District Council independently describes Maia Dreams as a youth empowerment and performing-arts organisation founded and led by Neho.

Through Maia Dreams, Neho has developed and delivered theatre productions, workshops, leadership programmes and personal-development initiatives for tamariki, rangatahi, whānau and communities.

ConfidentMe

Neho created ConfidentMe, a personal-development programme for children and young people. BayBuzz profiled Neho and ConfidentMe in 2021, describing her work building confidence and self-worth among young people.

The programme combines personal development and performing arts and focuses on confidence, resilience, self-worth and wellbeing.

Hastings District Council lists ConfidentMe among Maia Dreams' programmes and describes the organisation's work as spanning arts and culture, health and wellbeing, and life skills.

Wahanui Productions

Neho works through Wahanui Productions, a production company presenting original theatre and storytelling projects.

Wahanui Productions has produced Neho's solo works Tangihanga and Warewaretia.

Theatreview credits Neho as producer, performer, writer and director on later seasons of Tangihanga.

Screen, broadcasting and voice work

Alongside theatre and community work, Neho has worked in broadcasting, digital media and voice performance. Her wider creative practice includes radio, interviews and voice work.

Public speaking and facilitation

Neho works as a public speaker, MC and facilitator alongside her theatre and community work. Her work has included schools, community organisations, youth-development programmes and arts initiatives.

Awards and recognition

In 2024, Neho received a Best Performer Award at the Whangārei Fringe Festival for Tangihanga.

In 2024, Neho was a finalist for Change-Maker of the Year NZ in the Inspirational Women Awards New Zealand. The awards organisation credited her work through Maia Dreams and ConfidentMe and reported that she had supported more than 18,000 people across 59 schools and 30 organisations.

Neho was also recognised through the Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero programme in 2024.

In 2026, Neho received a Hastings Civic Honour Award. Hastings District Council recognised her for almost two decades of work strengthening communities through youth development, confidence, leadership, wellbeing, storytelling and the creative arts, specifically citing Maia Dreams Charitable Trust and ConfidentMe.

Community work

Much of Neho's creative practice intersects with community and youth development. Her work has involved schools, whānau, community organisations and arts organisations.

Hastings District Council has recognised her work across youth development, confidence, leadership, wellbeing, storytelling and the creative arts.

Selected works

• Tangihanga
• Warewaretia
• A Thousand Thoughts a Minute

External links

• Wahanui Productions
• Maia Dreams Charitable Trust
• Kristyl Neho official website