Step into an evening of creativity, connection, and culinary delight at Arranged Marriage, hosted in the warm, intimate surroundings of one of New Plymouth’s much-loved Indian restaurants. 

In a playful nod to the venue’s name, this unique event pairs Taranaki poets and songwriters in unexpected combinations. They’ll share original individual works before premiering unique

collaborative performances - their own “arranged marriage” of poetry and music, performed live for the first time. 

An intermission features a thoughtfully prepared, delicious South Indian meal, creating an experience that brings together storytelling, sound, and flavour. A celebration of inspiration, collaboration, and the sparks that fly when creative worlds meet.

MEET THE SINGER-SONGWRITERS

Sam Fawkner-Egli

Producer and multi-instrumentalist, Sam has a fascination with sound manipulation and texture. In this performance Sam will endeavour to create a palpable atmosphere with the music he curates, hopefully transporting the listener into a deep world of sonic and sense.

Missie

A rare appearance from Taranaki based singer song writer. Intuitive Indie folk with a soulful voice and a playful story telling.

Adrian Whelan

A familiar face in the Taranaki music scene since arriving from Ireland in 2008. Known for his work with local folk trio Turkey the Bird, he brings his storytelling and seasoned musicianship to his songwriting process and has enjoyed the challenge of the arranged marriage collaboration.

Caleb Northwood

His music blends folk and ambient soundscapes, woven through introspective lyrics. Drawing on themes of loss, memory, and contemplation, his work leans into a space of hopeful melancholy. 

Liana Hart

Blending country-folk storytelling with fingerstyle guitar, delicate harmonica, & emotionally rich lyricism. After releasing four singles, she’s enjoying and appreciating this project as a chance to collaborate, respond to poetry, and create something unexpected and shared.

Ngāneko Eriwata

A Māori singer-songwriter creating music exclusively in te reo Māori, grounded in her Taranaki dialect. Her sound reflects a deep connection to whenua, whānau, and identity. Blending neo-soul, R&B, and alternative pop, she delivers smooth, emotive vocals with contemporary production. Through her music, she uplifts iwi-specific reo, contributing to the revitalisation of te reo Māori for present and future generations.

MEET THE POETS

Holly Shanahan

Holly was born in Ōtautahi Christchurch and raised in Taranaki. Holly is an actor, director, acting-coach, agent, filmmaker, mum, and writer. In 2024 she began sharing her poetry for the first time — winning the 2024 Winter Fest and 2025 WOMAD poetry slams. A two-time NZ National Poetry Slam finalist, she is now focused on sharing her written work more widely, with her first published poem set to appear in the Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2026. Holly runs local poetry open mic WORDS OUT LOUD and is passionate about getting slam and spoken word to a wider audience.

Angus Hellen

Gus is a Taranaki based poet, who loves connecting with others through words. Originally from Raglan, a builder by trade and a surfer.

Mikaela Nyman

Mikaela Nyman is an award-winning writer of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction in Swedish and English. Her latest poetry collection The Anatomy of Sand (THWUP) was among the NZ Listener’s Top Poetry Books 2025. It connects Taranaki and Finland via oceans, sand and myths. In 2024 she was the Robert Burns Fellow.

Cahn Mitchell

I'm 29, young enough to still have wonder left in me and old enough to occasionally be a little embarrassed by that. Fledgling frequent flyer at local open mics and as yet unpublished, prolific riddle scribbler.  I am excited by Arranged Marriage for the opportunity to weave my creative insight into someone else's. It's a privilege and a thrill to be one of the voices of our wider community platformed in this way!

Adam Harris

Adam Harris is a speaker, coach, and performer who blends sharp insight with raw, human storytelling. As a professional EOS Implementer and co-founder of Frank and Fearless, he works with leaders to cut through noise, face hard truths, and build lives and businesses that actually mean something. Off stage, he leans into spontaneity through local improv, where presence beats perfection every time. Now calling Taranaki home for the past six and a half years, Adam brings a grounded, curious energy to everything he does—where poetry, like business and life, becomes a space to explore, challenge, and connect.

Ami Kindler

Ami is a NZ poet with poetry publications in a fine line magazine, Landing Press anthology 2025 'Potluck' and NZ Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2025. She was longlisted for the Takahē Monica Taylor Poetry Competition in 2021 and awarded ‘highly commended’ and ‘second place’ for two poems in the Lysaght-Watt Ronald Hugh Morrieson Literary Awards, 2024. She also took part in the 2020 WOMAD Poetry Slam. Ami teaches part time. She lives with her husband in Taranaki. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, walking and spending time in Nature.