Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngati Porou, Ngai Tamanuhiri, Rangitane, Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngai Tahu

Over the years my work has shifted to reflect a more of an intimate relationship and connection with self and environment. Living and working on my ancestral land in Tolaga Bay, Gisborne, New Zealand, connection to the land has been important fibers interweaving, people and place. Through a multidisciplinary expression, my work moves from painting, sculpture, fine metal adornment and digital media. Combining repetitive layers of line work, patterns, and imagery, fusing traditional iwi (tribe) and hapū (subtribe) art and design foundations with modern symbolism, my work looks to echo narratives and concepts of learning styles, conditioning the mind to learn, to retain, to explore, to reimagine.

Creativity and Innovation of creative spaces plays an important role in learning, transmission of learning, and therefore the bringing together of people. Creativity can provide foundation. Provide voice. Bring forth awareness. Activate healing. Grow leadership.

Through my art, I explore the transmission of mātauranga Māori (ancestral knowledge), including whakapapa (genealogy), pūrākau (ancestral narratives), and traditional design practices. My work often employ layered lines, shape, form, patterns, and motifs to encode and communicate these stories across different media.

For me, the essence of art lies not only in the finished object but in the process itself—the act of creating, reimagining, reframing, and innovating. Her practice emphasizes the intangible knowledge embedded within ‘making’, highlighting how ancestral wisdom continues to shape contemporary expression.

Transmission of knowledge is an important development and survival of people, place and culture. Social practice layers my work and projects, offering varied opportunities for engagement and experience. My current exploration includes augmented and virtual reality.