HBRW 2026 - Art & Activism

The best art stirs up ideas that get you thinking. This can certainly be said of the fiction of Tīhema Baker (Turncoat), whose new novel One Day a Taniwha describes a sleep-deprived new father’s disturbing dreams, a presence that begins to invade his waking life. He chats about the novel with Jo Randerson, whose book Secret Art Powers: how creative thinking can achieve radical change explores the potential of a creative mindset. This promises to be a lively and thought-provoking discussion.

About the Authors

Tīhema Baker (Raukawa te Au ki te Tonga, Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira) is a writer from Ōtaki. His writing often explores the complex interactions between and within te ao Maori and te ao Pakeha, based on personal and professional experience. He is the author of satirical novel Turncoat, which was longlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2024, a young adult novel series, and various short stories and essays.

Jo Randerson ONZM (they/them) is an Arts Foundation New Generation Laureate, and the founder and artistic director of Barbarian Productions. They are an award-winning playwright, performer and writer (including a Robert Burns Fellowship, Bruce Mason Playwriting Award, and Auckland Fringe ‘Unf**k the World’ Award). Jo has published four books of short fiction and poetry and many plays. Their new nonfiction work Secret Art Powers was published in 2025 and is already in its fourth reprint. Jo’s show Speed Is Emotional is currently on tour, focusing on neurodiversity, creativity and parenting. In 2023 they received the Topp Prize for Comedy.

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