The frantic energy espoused in the final event was somewhat of a metaphor for the ambition, exuberance and earnestness of the festival over all. Multiple methods, materials and approaches were undertaken, all with the same aim - to bring arts to the fore as a method of connecting and empowering people and communities. The manaakitanga of the Kaikōura community provided fertile ground for visiting artists to share their ideas and engage in exchange, discussion with locals. The outcome was the beginning of a wider sense of the value that the arts brings to a community - especially one still in recovery.