Emily Rangitiaria Schuster QSM, OBE was a master weaver, educator, and cultural leader whose legacy transformed the landscape of Māori weaving in Aotearoa and beyond.

Raised in Whakarewarewa, Emily learned traditional weaving from her mother and whānau, grounding her in a lineage of expert weavers. In 1969, she established the weaving school at the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua and led it for nearly three decades, shaping generations of weavers through a kaupapa Māori approach that upheld tikanga, whakapapa, and the spiritual dimensions of the art.

Emily’s work spanned traditional and contemporary forms, including kākahu, whāriki, and ceremonial taonga. Her commitment to the revival of weaving extended beyond Aotearoa—she travelled internationally to study, catalogue, and reconnect Māori with ancestral textiles, and played a key role in the formation of national weaving collectives such as Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa.

Her artistry, vision, and leadership helped elevate raranga as a living art form and cultural treasure.

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