Tōku Kōrero

My mahi is very much entrenched in Te Ao Māori. This is largely due to the fact I am Māori and due to a disconnection to my whakapapa, I seek to find myself in my research.

Growing up in Te Kuiti, the heart of Maniapoto, stories of Rewi Maniapoto during the NZ wars, to King Tawhiao and the Kingite movement in the 1860s, as well as the asylum of Te Kooti during his exile in Te Kuiti, were all told to me by elders when I was young. They fascinated me, but nothing like these stories were ever taught at school, as I found out when I took history to find there was no New Zealand history taught at all. I will find out why later when I read that New Zealand history.

Then, on a school visit to Te Awamutu, there were the paintings of Ātua Māori which I saw at a local wānanga that blew me away. Being a comic book fan, seeing images like these that depicted Maori in a superhero like fashion really stuck with me.

  I think, due to the fact that Māori history, as well as Māori mythology are not widely available to consume, these two fires still yearn to be stoked. So, with my art journey, I hope to explore these subjects more, and hopefully, be able to provide for others who also desire these soul foods.

Thank you for reading

Ngā mihinui e hoa