Whakamaua! | Wear It! Browse adornments from Te Papa collections – art, history, taonga Māori, and Pacific cultures.
He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of SoilExploring the relationship between tākata and whenua – people and land – through Aotearoa New Zealand’s art history.
This expansive and unmissable exhibition explores the fundamental role whenua plays in the visual language and identity of Aotearoa. Acknowledging Māori as takata whenua, the first peoples to call this land home, themes of kaitiakitaka, colonisation, environmentalism, land use, migration, identity and belonging are considered through collection works, new acquisitions and exciting commissions.
Huikaau | where currents meetHuikaau – where currents meet celebrates the past, present, and future of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery collection – Aotearoa’s first civic collection of art, which was established in Ōtepoti Dunedin in 1884. This exhibition upholds the stories and ideas carried within the collection, welcomes new arrivals, and continues to work in partnership to bring Māori and indigenous perspectives to the fore.
He Aa I Uta, He Aa I Tai: Weaving the ElementsBe immersed in new creations by members of Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, the national collective of Maaori weavers, supported by the master weavers group, Te Kāhui Whiritoi.
Drawing inspiration from our relationship with air, earth, fire, water and spirit, this large-scale exhibition celebrates the legacy of weaving through traditional and contemporary handcrafted works.
📸 Kahu Piu - Paula-Rigby
Mataaho Collective Hautāmiro (2025) is an installation by Mataaho Collective, which is led by the ancestral narratives of Tokohurunuku, Tokohururangi, Tokohurumawake and Tokohuruatea, the four winds, or the pillars of the sky. The four were children of Huruteaarangi, an atua of the winds who sent her offspring to the edges of the sky to stand as pou that separated Ranginui and Papatūānuku. Inspired by the dynamic visual language of hukahuka whakarākei, the adornments of customary kākahu, Hautāmiro weaves together materials and techniques in an installation that celebrates adaptation, experimentation and mātauranga Māori across generations.
He Momo, nā te whānau—it’s a family traitMost of us own a piece of heirloom jewellery that lives tucked away in a box or folded into a delicate piece of cloth. But what happens when we consider jewellery as a symbol for intangible inheritance? In He Momo, nā te whānau artists from across Aotearoa respond to this question with works made over a 20-year period. Cumulatively, they explore the qualities we receive from our parents, grandparents and our ancestors; while considering the cultural rituals, celebrations and baggage that bond the human race. Passing this provocation onto gallery visitors, they ask us what we are leaving behind for our children to inherit
Toi Koru: Sandy AdsettToi Koru presents the first major survey exhibition of paintings by the Māori master of colour and kōwhaiwhai, Dr Sandy Adsett.Featuring paintings created over six decades, Toi Koru tracks the trajectory of Adsett’s painting practice from the late 1960s to today. The exhibition features artworks from major public collections, including the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, as well as a new series of paintings created especially for the exhibition.
Developed and toured by Pātaka Art + Museum.
WaioraHemi Macgregor draws on geometric structures, patterns and processes in the natural world to explore our relationship with sky, water, earth and seasons.
Image: Mataura 44 photographed by Cheska Brown
Pōhatu Roa: Stories in StoneShaped by weather and other natural forces over millennia, pōhatu (stone) shows the mark of time on its surface and through its composition. It is the physical memory of our planet and the billions of people who have inhabited it. Each pōhatu silently holds its countless histories within, unable to share what it has experienced.
As a counterpoint to this, Pōhatu Roa: Stories in Stone offers a series of alternative histories told through the skilled hands of artists who have sculpted, carved, drilled and cut this tough and sometimes inflexible material. It features works by Chris Charteris, Craig McIntosh, Neke Moa, Renée Pearson, Fayne Robinson, Joe Sheehan and Tim Steel, who each tell their own stories through this evocative substance.
This exhibition gives a unique insight into diverse narratives that range from the deeply personal to more collective notions. The works in Pōhatu Roa, which loosely translates to the long or enduring stone, cover a surprising range of topics that include the touching story of whānau memories lost to time told through a series of bread plates carved from slate repurposed from a disused pool table; a 3 metre tall ‘necklace’ that acts as a literal and metaphorical anchor point for cultural histories; and the delicately carved objects of the everyday such as usb cords, clothes pegs and tiny birds eggs frozen forever in time.
Toka TūToka Tū, a person of strength in times of adversity. The artists whose works adorn the walls of Wairau Māori Art Gallery have been at the forefront of moulding a new aesthetic that integrates the deep visual traditions of Te Ao Māori with a colour palette of mediums and current issues and narratives that are descriptive of our contemporary world.
They have pushed boundaries and navigated challenges from the mainstream artworld and traversed new ground from traditionalist Māori artforms that bind their mahi to the whenua to illustrate a rich cultural landscape that is Aotearoa.Ngā iwi o te Taitokerau are transient navigators, descended from explorers and fierce home people who extend manaakitanga with open arms to those who enter our spaces.
Image : Alex Nathan, 2000, Silver
E hoki mai nei ki te ūkaipō | reA place of Nourishment
Tā, TauAn ongoing provocation, Tā, Tau reflects the artist’s contemplation of her contribution to landscape art. She explores this by gathering dirt from places she has lived, as well as whenua connected to her tīpuna. As she walks the land and rests among tussock-covered hills, she considers landlessness, the housing crisis, and contemporary life. She is not concerned with romanticised scenic paintings but rather with the raw, weighty presence of whenua—felt in her hands and reimagined into the structures she creates.
Life in formsPauline Kahurangi Yearbury (b.1928 d.1977 Ngāpuhi) was one of the first Māori artists to introduce Māori cultural narratives into contemporary art. Her work is characterised by a bold and illustrative style. This focused survey includes incised wooden panels featuring figures from Māori whakapapa narratives for which Yearbury is best known, as well as lesser-known drawings and paintings.
Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi ToiThis beautiful and thought-provoking exhibition is a celebration of pioneering artist Robyn Kahukiwa (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Konohi, Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare).
Robyn’s artistic contributions over recent decades span the changing cultural and political landscape of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery is proud to host this selection of artworks. They provide not only beauty and strength but inroads to maatauranga, with Maaori accounts given proper currency and weight.
The title 'Tohunga Mahi Toi' refers to Robyn’s status and expertise as an artist, valued here and internationally. Her work has become an alternate visual rendering of Aotearoa’s history, through the lens of a Māori woman.
“Let us acclaim Robyn Kahukiwa. Let us celebrate her art. Let us celebrate the weaving of whakapapa and whānau that she presents us, and entwined with that, always the raising of the wide-reaching capabilities of women. Let us celebrate her gift and her great determination.”
- Roma Potiki (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa), exhibition curator.
Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi is developed and toured by The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, in partnership with Te Manawa Museum.
Well-Heeled: Shoes with PersonalityEverybody has shoes – but what do they say about the person that wears them. From sneakerheads to haute couture fanatics, people all over the world have had a fascination with collecting these utilitarian-turned highly desirable objects. Well-Heeled invites you to explore the personal stories, special moments and celebrated events told through the diverse tastes of three Aotearoa New Zealand foot-wear devotees.
📸 United Nude, Delta Wedge Boot, Collection of Lisa Reihana
Toi Whakaata / ReflectionsToi Whakaata / Reflections brings together a focused selection of works by esteemed Māori sculptor Fred Graham (Ngāti Korokī Kahukura, Tainui b.1928). Reflecting on Graham’s art practice of over 70 years, this exhibition includes significant works made between 1965 and 2013, with an emphasis on the artist’s small-scale freestanding sculptures and relief works. The exhibited pieces demonstrate the development of Graham’s distinctive visual language, which intersects Māori and European art traditions and combines wood, stone and stainless steel.
📸 Washbowl of Sorrow, 2004,, Courtesy of Waikato Raupatu Lands Trust/Visual Arts, Waikato Museum
Kanohi Gesicht: Julia Walter and Keri-Mei Zagrobelna, 2025Alta Forma is delighted to present the third project in our series of duo exhibitions for 2025. ‘Kanohi Gesicht’ celebrates the artwork and practice of two mid-career international artists, Julia Walter (Netherlands) and Keri-Mei Zagrobelna (Aotearoa). Both artists have significant, internationally recognised jewellery practices, which extend into social and spatial contexts. Julia and Keri-Mei are also vectors for practice, as organisers and educators in their respective communities providing important opportunities for broader audiences to experience contemporary jewellery and its various conditions and contexts. ‘Kanohi Gesicht’ presents new and existing works by the artists that explore the face as site and as iconic archetype.
Artist talk by Keri-Mei Zagrobelna Saturday 7th of June at 3pm. Followed by opening celebration 3.30-5.30pm. All welcome.
He Tukutuku Auahatanga
Karanga atu, Karanga mai - calling outward, calling inward.Vanessa Edwards returns to Tāhuna Queenstown, supported by members of the Toi Whakaata - Māori Print Collective, Alexis Neal, Jasmine Horton and Tessa Russell, to honour her mother and explore the role of pattern within visual culture. Exhibition Opening: Saturday 14 June, 11:00am
To call outward is to expel breath from within - like a karanga during a powhiri or a wailing at a tangi. An outward expression acknowledging or responding to an external catalyst. To call inward is to receive a message into the self - like an internal voice, sometimes a whisper and other times a deafening, chaotic cry.
IwaFor Matariki 2025 we have taken inspiration from the nine stars of Matariki and invited nine ringatoi Māori to contribute ngā mahi toi to celebrate this special time of year. Entitled Iwa this exhibition will celebrate Māori creativity and innovation with the following ringatoi: Thomas Carroll, Mike Crawford, Michelle Hinekura Kerr, Stevei Houkāmau, Jon Jeet, Courtney Marama, Aaron Scythe, Isaac Te Awa, and Arielle Walker.
In that stone, in that cyclone, in that leaf
Papatūānuku - Te Whanganui-a-TaraAccording to Māori tradition, Papatūānuku is the Earth Mother, from which all living things are created. In this concert we celebrate nature with Papatūānuku, a work co-created by Kiwi composer Salina Fisher and Grammy Award-winning taonga puoro artist Jerome Kavanagh.
Papatūānuku - Tāmaki MakarauAccording to Māori tradition, Papatūānuku is the Earth Mother, from which all living things are created. In this concert we celebrate nature with Papatūānuku, a work co-created by Kiwi composer Salina Fisher and Grammy Award-winning taonga puoro artist Jerome Kavanagh.
Whāia te TaniwhaThis exhibition celebrates the diversity of taniwha. They are shapeshifters, oceanic guides, leaders, adversaries, guardians and tricksters who have left their marks on the Aotearoa landscape.
Whāia te Taniwha also responds to the impact of colonisation on Māori knowledge systems by celebrating the deep and varied presence of taniwha within te ao Māori,” says Cull.
Whakamaua! | Wear It! Browse adornments from Te Papa collections – art, history, taonga Māori, and Pacific cultures.
He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of SoilExploring the relationship between tākata and whenua – people and land – through Aotearoa New Zealand’s art history.
This expansive and unmissable exhibition explores the fundamental role whenua plays in the visual language and identity of Aotearoa. Acknowledging Māori as takata whenua, the first peoples to call this land home, themes of kaitiakitaka, colonisation, environmentalism, land use, migration, identity and belonging are considered through collection works, new acquisitions and exciting commissions.
Huikaau | where currents meetHuikaau – where currents meet celebrates the past, present, and future of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery collection – Aotearoa’s first civic collection of art, which was established in Ōtepoti Dunedin in 1884. This exhibition upholds the stories and ideas carried within the collection, welcomes new arrivals, and continues to work in partnership to bring Māori and indigenous perspectives to the fore.
He Aa I Uta, He Aa I Tai: Weaving the ElementsBe immersed in new creations by members of Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, the national collective of Maaori weavers, supported by the master weavers group, Te Kāhui Whiritoi.
Drawing inspiration from our relationship with air, earth, fire, water and spirit, this large-scale exhibition celebrates the legacy of weaving through traditional and contemporary handcrafted works.
📸 Kahu Piu - Paula-Rigby
Mataaho Collective Hautāmiro (2025) is an installation by Mataaho Collective, which is led by the ancestral narratives of Tokohurunuku, Tokohururangi, Tokohurumawake and Tokohuruatea, the four winds, or the pillars of the sky. The four were children of Huruteaarangi, an atua of the winds who sent her offspring to the edges of the sky to stand as pou that separated Ranginui and Papatūānuku. Inspired by the dynamic visual language of hukahuka whakarākei, the adornments of customary kākahu, Hautāmiro weaves together materials and techniques in an installation that celebrates adaptation, experimentation and mātauranga Māori across generations.
He Momo, nā te whānau—it’s a family traitMost of us own a piece of heirloom jewellery that lives tucked away in a box or folded into a delicate piece of cloth. But what happens when we consider jewellery as a symbol for intangible inheritance? In He Momo, nā te whānau artists from across Aotearoa respond to this question with works made over a 20-year period. Cumulatively, they explore the qualities we receive from our parents, grandparents and our ancestors; while considering the cultural rituals, celebrations and baggage that bond the human race. Passing this provocation onto gallery visitors, they ask us what we are leaving behind for our children to inherit
Toi Koru: Sandy AdsettToi Koru presents the first major survey exhibition of paintings by the Māori master of colour and kōwhaiwhai, Dr Sandy Adsett.Featuring paintings created over six decades, Toi Koru tracks the trajectory of Adsett’s painting practice from the late 1960s to today. The exhibition features artworks from major public collections, including the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, as well as a new series of paintings created especially for the exhibition.
Developed and toured by Pātaka Art + Museum.
WaioraHemi Macgregor draws on geometric structures, patterns and processes in the natural world to explore our relationship with sky, water, earth and seasons.
Image: Mataura 44 photographed by Cheska Brown
Pōhatu Roa: Stories in StoneShaped by weather and other natural forces over millennia, pōhatu (stone) shows the mark of time on its surface and through its composition. It is the physical memory of our planet and the billions of people who have inhabited it. Each pōhatu silently holds its countless histories within, unable to share what it has experienced.
As a counterpoint to this, Pōhatu Roa: Stories in Stone offers a series of alternative histories told through the skilled hands of artists who have sculpted, carved, drilled and cut this tough and sometimes inflexible material. It features works by Chris Charteris, Craig McIntosh, Neke Moa, Renée Pearson, Fayne Robinson, Joe Sheehan and Tim Steel, who each tell their own stories through this evocative substance.
This exhibition gives a unique insight into diverse narratives that range from the deeply personal to more collective notions. The works in Pōhatu Roa, which loosely translates to the long or enduring stone, cover a surprising range of topics that include the touching story of whānau memories lost to time told through a series of bread plates carved from slate repurposed from a disused pool table; a 3 metre tall ‘necklace’ that acts as a literal and metaphorical anchor point for cultural histories; and the delicately carved objects of the everyday such as usb cords, clothes pegs and tiny birds eggs frozen forever in time.
Toka TūToka Tū, a person of strength in times of adversity. The artists whose works adorn the walls of Wairau Māori Art Gallery have been at the forefront of moulding a new aesthetic that integrates the deep visual traditions of Te Ao Māori with a colour palette of mediums and current issues and narratives that are descriptive of our contemporary world.
They have pushed boundaries and navigated challenges from the mainstream artworld and traversed new ground from traditionalist Māori artforms that bind their mahi to the whenua to illustrate a rich cultural landscape that is Aotearoa.Ngā iwi o te Taitokerau are transient navigators, descended from explorers and fierce home people who extend manaakitanga with open arms to those who enter our spaces.
Image : Alex Nathan, 2000, Silver
E hoki mai nei ki te ūkaipō | reA place of NourishmentTā, TauAn ongoing provocation, Tā, Tau reflects the artist’s contemplation of her contribution to landscape art. She explores this by gathering dirt from places she has lived, as well as whenua connected to her tīpuna. As she walks the land and rests among tussock-covered hills, she considers landlessness, the housing crisis, and contemporary life. She is not concerned with romanticised scenic paintings but rather with the raw, weighty presence of whenua—felt in her hands and reimagined into the structures she creates.
Life in formsPauline Kahurangi Yearbury (b.1928 d.1977 Ngāpuhi) was one of the first Māori artists to introduce Māori cultural narratives into contemporary art. Her work is characterised by a bold and illustrative style. This focused survey includes incised wooden panels featuring figures from Māori whakapapa narratives for which Yearbury is best known, as well as lesser-known drawings and paintings.
Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi ToiThis beautiful and thought-provoking exhibition is a celebration of pioneering artist Robyn Kahukiwa (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Konohi, Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare).
Robyn’s artistic contributions over recent decades span the changing cultural and political landscape of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery is proud to host this selection of artworks. They provide not only beauty and strength but inroads to maatauranga, with Maaori accounts given proper currency and weight.
The title 'Tohunga Mahi Toi' refers to Robyn’s status and expertise as an artist, valued here and internationally. Her work has become an alternate visual rendering of Aotearoa’s history, through the lens of a Māori woman.
“Let us acclaim Robyn Kahukiwa. Let us celebrate her art. Let us celebrate the weaving of whakapapa and whānau that she presents us, and entwined with that, always the raising of the wide-reaching capabilities of women. Let us celebrate her gift and her great determination.”
- Roma Potiki (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa), exhibition curator.
Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi is developed and toured by The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, in partnership with Te Manawa Museum.
Well-Heeled: Shoes with PersonalityEverybody has shoes – but what do they say about the person that wears them. From sneakerheads to haute couture fanatics, people all over the world have had a fascination with collecting these utilitarian-turned highly desirable objects. Well-Heeled invites you to explore the personal stories, special moments and celebrated events told through the diverse tastes of three Aotearoa New Zealand foot-wear devotees.
📸 United Nude, Delta Wedge Boot, Collection of Lisa Reihana
Toi Whakaata / ReflectionsToi Whakaata / Reflections brings together a focused selection of works by esteemed Māori sculptor Fred Graham (Ngāti Korokī Kahukura, Tainui b.1928). Reflecting on Graham’s art practice of over 70 years, this exhibition includes significant works made between 1965 and 2013, with an emphasis on the artist’s small-scale freestanding sculptures and relief works. The exhibited pieces demonstrate the development of Graham’s distinctive visual language, which intersects Māori and European art traditions and combines wood, stone and stainless steel.
📸 Washbowl of Sorrow, 2004,, Courtesy of Waikato Raupatu Lands Trust/Visual Arts, Waikato Museum
Kanohi Gesicht: Julia Walter and Keri-Mei Zagrobelna, 2025Alta Forma is delighted to present the third project in our series of duo exhibitions for 2025. ‘Kanohi Gesicht’ celebrates the artwork and practice of two mid-career international artists, Julia Walter (Netherlands) and Keri-Mei Zagrobelna (Aotearoa). Both artists have significant, internationally recognised jewellery practices, which extend into social and spatial contexts. Julia and Keri-Mei are also vectors for practice, as organisers and educators in their respective communities providing important opportunities for broader audiences to experience contemporary jewellery and its various conditions and contexts. ‘Kanohi Gesicht’ presents new and existing works by the artists that explore the face as site and as iconic archetype.
Artist talk by Keri-Mei Zagrobelna Saturday 7th of June at 3pm. Followed by opening celebration 3.30-5.30pm. All welcome.
He Tukutuku AuahatangaKaranga atu, Karanga mai - calling outward, calling inward.Vanessa Edwards returns to Tāhuna Queenstown, supported by members of the Toi Whakaata - Māori Print Collective, Alexis Neal, Jasmine Horton and Tessa Russell, to honour her mother and explore the role of pattern within visual culture. Exhibition Opening: Saturday 14 June, 11:00am
To call outward is to expel breath from within - like a karanga during a powhiri or a wailing at a tangi. An outward expression acknowledging or responding to an external catalyst. To call inward is to receive a message into the self - like an internal voice, sometimes a whisper and other times a deafening, chaotic cry.
IwaFor Matariki 2025 we have taken inspiration from the nine stars of Matariki and invited nine ringatoi Māori to contribute ngā mahi toi to celebrate this special time of year. Entitled Iwa this exhibition will celebrate Māori creativity and innovation with the following ringatoi: Thomas Carroll, Mike Crawford, Michelle Hinekura Kerr, Stevei Houkāmau, Jon Jeet, Courtney Marama, Aaron Scythe, Isaac Te Awa, and Arielle Walker.
In that stone, in that cyclone, in that leafPapatūānuku - Te Whanganui-a-TaraAccording to Māori tradition, Papatūānuku is the Earth Mother, from which all living things are created. In this concert we celebrate nature with Papatūānuku, a work co-created by Kiwi composer Salina Fisher and Grammy Award-winning taonga puoro artist Jerome Kavanagh.
Papatūānuku - Tāmaki MakarauAccording to Māori tradition, Papatūānuku is the Earth Mother, from which all living things are created. In this concert we celebrate nature with Papatūānuku, a work co-created by Kiwi composer Salina Fisher and Grammy Award-winning taonga puoro artist Jerome Kavanagh.
Whāia te TaniwhaThis exhibition celebrates the diversity of taniwha. They are shapeshifters, oceanic guides, leaders, adversaries, guardians and tricksters who have left their marks on the Aotearoa landscape.
Whāia te Taniwha also responds to the impact of colonisation on Māori knowledge systems by celebrating the deep and varied presence of taniwha within te ao Māori,” says Cull.
Whakamaua! | Wear It! Browse adornments from Te Papa collections – art, history, taonga Māori, and Pacific cultures.
He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of SoilExploring the relationship between tākata and whenua – people and land – through Aotearoa New Zealand’s art history.
This expansive and unmissable exhibition explores the fundamental role whenua plays in the visual language and identity of Aotearoa. Acknowledging Māori as takata whenua, the first peoples to call this land home, themes of kaitiakitaka, colonisation, environmentalism, land use, migration, identity and belonging are considered through collection works, new acquisitions and exciting commissions.
Huikaau | where currents meetHuikaau – where currents meet celebrates the past, present, and future of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery collection – Aotearoa’s first civic collection of art, which was established in Ōtepoti Dunedin in 1884. This exhibition upholds the stories and ideas carried within the collection, welcomes new arrivals, and continues to work in partnership to bring Māori and indigenous perspectives to the fore.
He Aa I Uta, He Aa I Tai: Weaving the ElementsBe immersed in new creations by members of Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, the national collective of Maaori weavers, supported by the master weavers group, Te Kāhui Whiritoi.
Drawing inspiration from our relationship with air, earth, fire, water and spirit, this large-scale exhibition celebrates the legacy of weaving through traditional and contemporary handcrafted works.
📸 Kahu Piu - Paula-Rigby
Mataaho Collective Hautāmiro (2025) is an installation by Mataaho Collective, which is led by the ancestral narratives of Tokohurunuku, Tokohururangi, Tokohurumawake and Tokohuruatea, the four winds, or the pillars of the sky. The four were children of Huruteaarangi, an atua of the winds who sent her offspring to the edges of the sky to stand as pou that separated Ranginui and Papatūānuku. Inspired by the dynamic visual language of hukahuka whakarākei, the adornments of customary kākahu, Hautāmiro weaves together materials and techniques in an installation that celebrates adaptation, experimentation and mātauranga Māori across generations.
He Momo, nā te whānau—it’s a family traitMost of us own a piece of heirloom jewellery that lives tucked away in a box or folded into a delicate piece of cloth. But what happens when we consider jewellery as a symbol for intangible inheritance? In He Momo, nā te whānau artists from across Aotearoa respond to this question with works made over a 20-year period. Cumulatively, they explore the qualities we receive from our parents, grandparents and our ancestors; while considering the cultural rituals, celebrations and baggage that bond the human race. Passing this provocation onto gallery visitors, they ask us what we are leaving behind for our children to inherit
Toi Koru: Sandy AdsettToi Koru presents the first major survey exhibition of paintings by the Māori master of colour and kōwhaiwhai, Dr Sandy Adsett.Featuring paintings created over six decades, Toi Koru tracks the trajectory of Adsett’s painting practice from the late 1960s to today. The exhibition features artworks from major public collections, including the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, as well as a new series of paintings created especially for the exhibition.
Developed and toured by Pātaka Art + Museum.
WaioraHemi Macgregor draws on geometric structures, patterns and processes in the natural world to explore our relationship with sky, water, earth and seasons.
Image: Mataura 44 photographed by Cheska Brown
Pōhatu Roa: Stories in StoneShaped by weather and other natural forces over millennia, pōhatu (stone) shows the mark of time on its surface and through its composition. It is the physical memory of our planet and the billions of people who have inhabited it. Each pōhatu silently holds its countless histories within, unable to share what it has experienced.
As a counterpoint to this, Pōhatu Roa: Stories in Stone offers a series of alternative histories told through the skilled hands of artists who have sculpted, carved, drilled and cut this tough and sometimes inflexible material. It features works by Chris Charteris, Craig McIntosh, Neke Moa, Renée Pearson, Fayne Robinson, Joe Sheehan and Tim Steel, who each tell their own stories through this evocative substance.
This exhibition gives a unique insight into diverse narratives that range from the deeply personal to more collective notions. The works in Pōhatu Roa, which loosely translates to the long or enduring stone, cover a surprising range of topics that include the touching story of whānau memories lost to time told through a series of bread plates carved from slate repurposed from a disused pool table; a 3 metre tall ‘necklace’ that acts as a literal and metaphorical anchor point for cultural histories; and the delicately carved objects of the everyday such as usb cords, clothes pegs and tiny birds eggs frozen forever in time.
Toka TūToka Tū, a person of strength in times of adversity. The artists whose works adorn the walls of Wairau Māori Art Gallery have been at the forefront of moulding a new aesthetic that integrates the deep visual traditions of Te Ao Māori with a colour palette of mediums and current issues and narratives that are descriptive of our contemporary world.
They have pushed boundaries and navigated challenges from the mainstream artworld and traversed new ground from traditionalist Māori artforms that bind their mahi to the whenua to illustrate a rich cultural landscape that is Aotearoa.Ngā iwi o te Taitokerau are transient navigators, descended from explorers and fierce home people who extend manaakitanga with open arms to those who enter our spaces.
Image : Alex Nathan, 2000, Silver
E hoki mai nei ki te ūkaipō | reA place of NourishmentTā, TauAn ongoing provocation, Tā, Tau reflects the artist’s contemplation of her contribution to landscape art. She explores this by gathering dirt from places she has lived, as well as whenua connected to her tīpuna. As she walks the land and rests among tussock-covered hills, she considers landlessness, the housing crisis, and contemporary life. She is not concerned with romanticised scenic paintings but rather with the raw, weighty presence of whenua—felt in her hands and reimagined into the structures she creates.
Life in formsPauline Kahurangi Yearbury (b.1928 d.1977 Ngāpuhi) was one of the first Māori artists to introduce Māori cultural narratives into contemporary art. Her work is characterised by a bold and illustrative style. This focused survey includes incised wooden panels featuring figures from Māori whakapapa narratives for which Yearbury is best known, as well as lesser-known drawings and paintings.
Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi ToiThis beautiful and thought-provoking exhibition is a celebration of pioneering artist Robyn Kahukiwa (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Konohi, Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare).
Robyn’s artistic contributions over recent decades span the changing cultural and political landscape of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery is proud to host this selection of artworks. They provide not only beauty and strength but inroads to maatauranga, with Maaori accounts given proper currency and weight.
The title 'Tohunga Mahi Toi' refers to Robyn’s status and expertise as an artist, valued here and internationally. Her work has become an alternate visual rendering of Aotearoa’s history, through the lens of a Māori woman.
“Let us acclaim Robyn Kahukiwa. Let us celebrate her art. Let us celebrate the weaving of whakapapa and whānau that she presents us, and entwined with that, always the raising of the wide-reaching capabilities of women. Let us celebrate her gift and her great determination.”
- Roma Potiki (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa), exhibition curator.
Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi is developed and toured by The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, in partnership with Te Manawa Museum.
Well-Heeled: Shoes with PersonalityEverybody has shoes – but what do they say about the person that wears them. From sneakerheads to haute couture fanatics, people all over the world have had a fascination with collecting these utilitarian-turned highly desirable objects. Well-Heeled invites you to explore the personal stories, special moments and celebrated events told through the diverse tastes of three Aotearoa New Zealand foot-wear devotees.
📸 United Nude, Delta Wedge Boot, Collection of Lisa Reihana
Toi Whakaata / ReflectionsToi Whakaata / Reflections brings together a focused selection of works by esteemed Māori sculptor Fred Graham (Ngāti Korokī Kahukura, Tainui b.1928). Reflecting on Graham’s art practice of over 70 years, this exhibition includes significant works made between 1965 and 2013, with an emphasis on the artist’s small-scale freestanding sculptures and relief works. The exhibited pieces demonstrate the development of Graham’s distinctive visual language, which intersects Māori and European art traditions and combines wood, stone and stainless steel.
📸 Washbowl of Sorrow, 2004,, Courtesy of Waikato Raupatu Lands Trust/Visual Arts, Waikato Museum
Kanohi Gesicht: Julia Walter and Keri-Mei Zagrobelna, 2025Alta Forma is delighted to present the third project in our series of duo exhibitions for 2025. ‘Kanohi Gesicht’ celebrates the artwork and practice of two mid-career international artists, Julia Walter (Netherlands) and Keri-Mei Zagrobelna (Aotearoa). Both artists have significant, internationally recognised jewellery practices, which extend into social and spatial contexts. Julia and Keri-Mei are also vectors for practice, as organisers and educators in their respective communities providing important opportunities for broader audiences to experience contemporary jewellery and its various conditions and contexts. ‘Kanohi Gesicht’ presents new and existing works by the artists that explore the face as site and as iconic archetype.
Artist talk by Keri-Mei Zagrobelna Saturday 7th of June at 3pm. Followed by opening celebration 3.30-5.30pm. All welcome.
He Tukutuku AuahatangaKaranga atu, Karanga mai - calling outward, calling inward.Vanessa Edwards returns to Tāhuna Queenstown, supported by members of the Toi Whakaata - Māori Print Collective, Alexis Neal, Jasmine Horton and Tessa Russell, to honour her mother and explore the role of pattern within visual culture. Exhibition Opening: Saturday 14 June, 11:00am
To call outward is to expel breath from within - like a karanga during a powhiri or a wailing at a tangi. An outward expression acknowledging or responding to an external catalyst. To call inward is to receive a message into the self - like an internal voice, sometimes a whisper and other times a deafening, chaotic cry.
IwaFor Matariki 2025 we have taken inspiration from the nine stars of Matariki and invited nine ringatoi Māori to contribute ngā mahi toi to celebrate this special time of year. Entitled Iwa this exhibition will celebrate Māori creativity and innovation with the following ringatoi: Thomas Carroll, Mike Crawford, Michelle Hinekura Kerr, Stevei Houkāmau, Jon Jeet, Courtney Marama, Aaron Scythe, Isaac Te Awa, and Arielle Walker.
In that stone, in that cyclone, in that leafPapatūānuku - Te Whanganui-a-TaraAccording to Māori tradition, Papatūānuku is the Earth Mother, from which all living things are created. In this concert we celebrate nature with Papatūānuku, a work co-created by Kiwi composer Salina Fisher and Grammy Award-winning taonga puoro artist Jerome Kavanagh.
Papatūānuku - Tāmaki MakarauAccording to Māori tradition, Papatūānuku is the Earth Mother, from which all living things are created. In this concert we celebrate nature with Papatūānuku, a work co-created by Kiwi composer Salina Fisher and Grammy Award-winning taonga puoro artist Jerome Kavanagh.
Whāia te TaniwhaThis exhibition celebrates the diversity of taniwha. They are shapeshifters, oceanic guides, leaders, adversaries, guardians and tricksters who have left their marks on the Aotearoa landscape.
Whāia te Taniwha also responds to the impact of colonisation on Māori knowledge systems by celebrating the deep and varied presence of taniwha within te ao Māori,” says Cull.
Join Toi Iho, empowering creative Māori expression and fostering cultural resurgence.
TOI IHO and the TOI IHO logo are taonga and trade marks of Toi Iho Charitable Trust. Toi Iho Charitable Trust is the kaitiaki of the taonga and owner of the trade marks. All use of these taonga and trade marks must be consistent with rules, policies, and tikanga set by Toi Iho Charitable Trust.
