We remembered 50 years of our creative work with and for women and nonbinary people.
BOOKS, EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS
We celebrated with 5 books for our Te Puna Waiwhetū
Christchurch Art Gallery site & 5 exhibitions in 5 venues.
SPIRAL 8: SETTING THE [WORK] TABLE
Spiral 8: Setting the [work] table (2d ed. 2026) celebrates beloved Spiral women who lived sometime between 1929 when Jacquie Sturm was born and 2024 when Lynne Ciochetto died.
Jacquie (J.C.) Sturm; Renée; Arapera Blank; Gladys Gurney (Saj);Frances Cherry; Marilynn Webb; Heather McPherson; Keri Kaa; Rosemary Johnson; Pauline Neale; Miriama Evans; Joanna Margaret Paul; Juanita Ketchel;
Irihapeti Ramsden; Keri Hulme; Sharon Alston.
Some are very well known, others are almost forgotten, but we cherish them all and celebrate them in their own words wherever possible.
The title comes from one of Renée’s plays, Setting the Table, where a character says—
“Look we’re setting the table. Right? All those women we know about and the hundreds we don’t. Well. They got the ingredients ready and cooked the dinner. And now we’ve got as far as setting the table. Oh I know it seems as though we’ll never sit down to the dinner-party. Well maybe we won’t. But we’ll get the table ready. Us and all the ones we don’t know about.”
The selections, often taken in collaboration with whānau and families, highlight both how these women worked to ‘set the table’ for those who came after them; and the love and support they gave to their peers.
SPIRAL COLLECTIVES PROJECTS 1975-2025: SOME STORIES (2d. ed. 2026)
Spiral Collectives Projects 1975–2025: Some Stories (2d ed. 2026) extends Spiral 8, with Hilary Baxter, Allie Eagle and Lynne Ciochetto sections.
It’s also an anthology of essays and interviews, drawing on material from our extended research project.
Many illustrations.
WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVALS AND
#WOMENINFILM DATABASES (2d. ed. 2025)
A comprehensive, global list of specialist all-year streaming sites and over 160 women’s film festivals: Africa, Asia, Canada & the United States, Central and South America, Europe and Oceania. Also lists databases that support and promote women and nonbinary filmmakers.
Contextualised in Introductions to each section and in Afterword. New preface and a third section that covers #DirectedByWomen #Aotearoa.
Many images.
ADAPTING KERI HULME'S THE BONE PEOPLE INTO A GRAPHIC NOVEL (2025)
Spiral Collectives Trust is privileged to develop the bone people into a graphic novel, as a step towards making an animation. The project's kaupapa is to safeguard and uphold the mana of this literary taonga and its author in a new medium, by and for a new generation. A heritage project, with the gracious support of Keri’s whānau, the kaitiaki of her legacy, it will realise a collective vision executed by individual voices, each contributor committed to creating a work that Keri would love.
DOCUMENTING AND CELEBRATING OUR COLLECTIVE ACHIEVEMENTS OVER 50 YEARS
Our Spiral Collectives Projects 19750-2025 Catalogue documents and celebrates Spiral’s work and workers. Drawn from our archives at the Alexander Turnbull Library and some memories.
Initiated and researched for Spiral by Fran McGowan. Richly illustrated.
EXHIBITIONS
& EVENTS
Across the motu from Tāmaki Makaurau to Ōtepoti
SPIRAL COLLECTIVES
CHRISTCHURCH ART GALLERY TE PUNA O WAIWHETŪ
23 August-7 December 2025
Curated by Te Puna's archivist/librarian Tim Jones, with research support from Spiral.
“A closer look at the publications of the influential women's group Spiral Collectives.
This year, Spiral Collectives celebrates fifty years of making space for women in Aotearoa New Zealand’s art scene through art, poetry and publishing. This small exhibition of some of Spiral’s most important publications includes Spiral magazine, poetry, exhibition catalogues, photography, fiction and children’s books. Spiral’s best-known publication, Keri Hulme’s the bone people, is marked with the author’s original typescript and cover design.
Many of Spiral’s members and supporters were closely involved with the Women’s Gallery in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, and we are pleased to present a selection of posters promoting events and exhibitions.”
Events
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Panel discussion with Tiffany Thornley, Gwyn Porter re early women’s art movement and other activism in Ōtautahi;
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Becca Barnes, Cathasaigh O’Fiannachta and Marian Evans re the bone people project.
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Art Bite presentation by Tim Jones.
SPIRAL COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION
CHARLOTTE MUSEUM TE WHARE TAKATĀPUI-WĀHINE O AOTEAROA,
TĀMAKI MAKARAU AUCKLAND
24 October-17 December 2025
Co-ordinated for Spiral by Joanna Osborne in collaboration with Marian Evans.
“We are delighted to present our final exhibition of 2025 with Spiral Collectives, who are celebrating their 50yr Anniversary.
Including Spiral publications from 1976- 2025, archival ephemera and artworks, the exhibition spans both germinal Spiral moments and key figures.” — Charlotte Museum Te Whare Takatāpui-Wāhine o Aotearoa. The ‘key figures’ were those with sections in Spiral 8 or Some Stories.
Events
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Opening and launch of Spiral 8 Friday 24 October and Saturday 25 October, with manaakitanga from Mokopōpaki led by Cushla Parekowhai, including a birthday cake, and readings from poets Miriam Saphira, Sue Fitchett and Janet Charman.
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Panel discussion re the bone people project, with Becca Barnes, Cathasaigh O’Fiannachta and Marian Evans.
SPIRAL PRIDE WEEK DISPLAY
GLEN EDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
February 2026
Co-ordinated by Joanna Osborne.
SPIRAL COLLECTIVES
ST GERARD'S MONASTERY
Wellington Te Whanganui-a-Tara
March 2026
Co-ordinated by Joanna Osborne in collaboration with Marian Evans.
The Charlotte Museum exhibition reimagined during the Wellington Pride Festival, for St Gerard's, also reimagined, and now an arts & culture centre.
Events
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Opening and two afternoon sessions with author Kim Hunt and her latest crime novel The Corrector;
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Becca Barnes and Cathasaigh O’Fiannachta on their adaptation of the bone people.
Dr Joanna Osborne, Spiral trustee and co-ordinator, at work in Kā Kete Wānaka Dunedin Public Libraries, July 2026.
SPIRAL COLLECTIVES
KĀ KETE WĀNAKA DUNEDIN PUBLIC LIBRARIES
31 July-18 October 2026
Co-ordinated by Joanna Osborne with Marian Evans.
"The exhibition reflects decades of creativity, courage, connection and collective kaupapa. It includes heritage publications from the library’s collections, alongside works published by Spiral and by many of the individuals featured, offering visitors a rich glimpse into an important part of Aotearoa’s literary and artistic history." — Kā Kete Wānaka Dunedin Public LIbrary.
Events:
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Whakatau, 31 July;
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Becca Barnes, Cathasaigh O’Fiannachta and Madison Kelly panel discussion on the bone people project, 1 August.
Kai at St Gerard's — "Gluten-free towards the sea!" March 2026