For 28 years, Splore has gathered people at Tāpapakanga and in doing so, left an imprint in the sand, beyond the days of music and art. With their 2026 festival signifying the last time we’ll scale the legendary goat track, swap costumes and two-step to local (& global) goodness, we spoke with festival director John Minty ahead of Splore’s final hurrah to reflect on what has taken shape across decades of return.
JM: Because Splore’s been going for 28 years, it’s leaving behind an intergenerational legacy. People make lifelong friends, meet future partners, bring their children and create connections between the generations. Its broadened perspectives, inspired people to be better humans and to pursue creative endeavours.
JM: Splore’s been a focal point for the two iwi, Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāti Whanaunga, to reconnect people with their whenua at Tāpapakanga. A lot of descendants spread far and wide after the Waikato Land wars and haven’t had an ongoing connection with Tapapakanga. Splore’s been an opportunity for whānau to come back, to acknowledge ‘this is where we came from’. Kids are getting knowledge from their elders, playing with cousins in the lagoon - that’s been a really important legacy.
JM: This year reflects what splore has always stood for. Showing that a gathering can hold creativity, care, surprise and celebration all at once. Families swimming, wandering through the art trail, stumbling across pop up performances. Then the night comes on, the lights come up, the cabaret appears, the party carries on into the early hours. Both things coexist.
JM: Now it’s finished, the real legacy is the connections people have made over the years. The values they show children, can you imagine what that does to a young kid’s mind, that opens something up. They leave no trace of ethics, people being friendly to each other, women feeling safe, and the presence of iwi, it all teaches respect for the land and each other. Then there’s the roving performers and random moments on the goat track where you stop and wonder, was that organised or did it just happen? That sense of openness, of how to be together - that’s what I hope people carry forward.
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