Aunty's House Organisation / Collective / Group

INFO

Name	Aunty's House
Established	2023
City	Tāmaki Makaurau
Decades Active	2020s

ABOUT

Aunty’s House is a community organisation made by and for South Asian New Zealanders. They host events throughout Tāmaki Makaurau that bring people together through music, culture and food, with a commitment to “creating a space where we can come together, share experiences, culture, and celebrate our intersections”.

Aunty’s House was founded in 2023 by Amita Kala, a digital marketing consultant and creative. The organisation receives support from a team of board members and its event assistants, Shruthi Priya Balaji and Alesha Mehta.

Inspired by the UK-based South Asian DJ Collective, Daytimers, Kala wanted to create events for the South Asian community in Tāmaki Makaurau to meet and connect in an environment that felt non-judgemental and accessible. Kala also notes several other groups from Aotearoa as key influences in forming Aunty’s House, including FILTH, Sesa Mathlo, Manawaka Ao, Storyo, and the ballroom community. As Kala explains: “Embracing culture with pride, tackling biases and life perceptions without judgement, our mission is to provide a healing space for those on a similar journey, eager to re-centre community and move away from individualistic narratives and colonial systems.”

The events often incorporate a range of art forms and cultural experiences. For instance, they organise Chai Sessions, a series of gatherings for dialogue between people from the South Asian diaspora accompanied by musical performances and speakers. Somatic Echoes are workshops that include movement therapy, designed to help participants connect with their bodies. Their Sketch & Sip events are hands-on art sessions featuring live DJ sets and endless chai, providing an atmospheric environment for the participants to sketch. Talks and workshops such as Beyond Taboos, a series of panel discussions that address queerness and sexuality, and other topics that can often be overlooked in these communities.

Aunty’s House events showcase a range of local South Asian artists’ practices. For instance, a 2024 Chai Session featured DJs GoldTooth, basmami, حلالاماما (halalamama), Nam Chucks, DIMPRI and Char, as well as artists Jessie Kanji and Sahana Rahman, jeweller Zahra Curates, and tattoo artist Khash (aka Spicy Ink). Through their Instagram page, the Aunty’s House promotes other artists' events and activities that relate to the South-Asian community in Aotearoa, with the aim to amplify voices, share resources, and produce content that represents the intersection of different South Asian identities.