Rose worked with artists, and communities to breathe life into creative space, crafting characters and building worlds that could be inhabited, and shared with audiences.
how do we make sure everybody can see themselves represented in the stories we’re sharing on stage and the screen
Artist
Rose grew up in the Akatarawa Valley in Upper Hutt with Scottish and English ancestry. Their family were some of the first people to colonise the Hutt Valley.
The youngest of five children Rose attended Catholic education and Church in their formative years, with the parish being a focus for the family.
The home which was shared with their maternal grandparents, was constantly open to family and friends who needed respite, support, and community. Hosting countless celebrations, hangi, hui, and memorials over the past 60 years where Rose learned about mānakitanga and the power of bringing people together.
Rose’s parents worked in education and social work, where acts of service were at the core of their daily life, this largely influenced Rose’s working style, especially in how they related to marginalised people.
Rose’s connection with Te Ao Māori was seeded at Ōrongomai Marae as a child and was deepened by attending Toi Whakaari, where they met and began working with amazing Māori and Pacific artists. This transformed how they saw the world. Rose became committed to using their privilege as a pākehā artist to question all institutionalisation in the fight to decolonise all people and systems.
Rose built processes, rehearsals, workshops, film sets, and production spaces that were free of judgment, fear, and prejudice. Striving to find the inner talents of the people they worked with, celebrating how their gifts can become a collective force for change and beauty. Rose worked in Crip-time because they lived with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoria disorder) a hormone health issue that meant their process was less about being in a rehearsal room for 8 hours a day. Rose felt that it was more about using the energy when we have it, looking at how we can integrate artistic thought and practice into the everyday. Rose trusted that the art would be ready when it was time to share it with the greater world. Resting and connecting to water when preparing creative magic, was integral to how they saw a sustainable future for creative practice to counter the overly competitive nature of our capitalist society.
Rose worked as a connector-activator, in communities, art spaces, film sets, and theatre. Often empowering marginalised people to share their stories. As an artist they constantly sought for ways that broke the boards, burning it to the ground through radical inclusion, conscious allyship, and exploring the powerful silent parts of themselves that could process all the noise.
Rose was very privileged to have collaborated with some of Aotearoa's most stunning Artists and makers. They felt their gift was elevating others to embrace their true internal power, beauty, and mana. Asking how can we plant seeds that will feed the children of the next millennia? "We all have the power to activate others and to be activated through the power of the human heart. Our internal light is at constant war with the current social condition, we need to devote our spirits to cultivating portals for humanity to recharge in the beauty of art."
© 2025 Rose Kirkup.
