Ngā mahi toi

Uhi Tai is a three-day exhibition and toi Māori expression of the research findings from the Tangaroa Ararau project, reimagining a marine governance regime with the ocean at the heart of decision-making.

Drawing inspiration from traditional Māori knowledge transfer methods, the exhibition presents a dynamic mix of media forms—including video, audio, painting, sculpture, waiata, weaving, carving, taonga pūoro, tā moko, and print media. Through this unique approach, Uhi Tai presents Tangaroa Ararau’s research findings as a call to action, encouraging curiosity, and providing space to reimagine a tikanga-led marine governance and management system that honours Te Tiriti.

Te Aitanga ā Māhaki, Te Whānau ā Kai, Ngai Tai, Ngā Puhi, Ngāi Tahu

Art is a whakapapa. It is continuously evolving from one generation to the next.

Art is an expression of ones’ self-identity.

Tai works as a full time artist, designer and dad from his home based studio in Ūawa, Tolaga Bay. He has been a practicing artist for over two decades, exhibiting nationally and internationally. His artwork ranges in mediums from acrylic on paper, canvas, clay, wood, silver and copper, scaling from large 2D works to small handcrafted adornment pieces.

Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngai Tamanuhiri, Ngati Kahungunu, Rangitane, Ngai Tahu

Kaaterina and Tai Kerekere are a creative art and design duo based in Uawa, Tolaga Bay on the beautiful sunny East Coast of Gisborne, Aotearoa.

Their boutique creative consultancy, KE Design, offers their own unique and distinctive styles, as Kaaterina and Tai both navigate creative systems, offering one-of-a-kind works, tailoring processes and working style to fit the needs of people and place.

When they speak to creative, art and design expertise, they’re offering an extensive approach through a wide range creative mediums, from digital design (print, motion graphic), painting, fine adornment, metal, clay, sculpture, including the important creative narrative and concept development.

Te Whānau-a- Apanui

Erena Koopu is committed to sustaining Māori culture through art by guiding and helping people to explore and discover their own creative core. Koopu was one of the first students to graduate with a degree from EIT Tairāwhiti’s Toihoukura – School of Māori Visual Arts. Since that achievement, she has come full circle and is now responsible for Toihoukura’s Te Toi o Ngā Rangi: Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts degree and Level Four Foundation Certificate. Koopu is also senior painting lecturer, a role which allows her to investigate art in a framework that encompasses all aspects of Te Ao Māori for students who may have little to no experience of a Māori worldview of art and its related protocols.

Rongowhakaata

Hiwirori Maynard trained in the 1990’s at Toihoukura under the guidance of Dr Sandy Adsett, Sir Derek Lardelli and Steve Gibbs. In 2004, Hiwi went on to graduate with a Maunga Kura Toi – Bachelor of Māori arts at Toimairangi, Te Wananga o Aotearoa.

“Inspiration for my art comes from my involvement with both the Māori performing & Visual Arts. I have always had a passion for kapa haka and have been a member of the Waihīrere Māori Cultural Group for over 20 years. My whānau and those close to me within the arts have played a major role in the development of my work and without their influences I wouldn’t be doing what I love.”

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Te Āitanga a Māhaki

Toni is a weaver who works in both traditional and contemporary forms; from intricate small kete to large installations. She has studied weaving for many years and a woven piece made her a finalist in the ‘Organic’ section of the Cult Couture Fashion Show, Auckland 2011. Her work was also featured in the Ngā Whakatipuranga exhibition in Rotorua in July 2012.

Ngāti Oneone

I have spent all my life studying and working in the area of Māori art, culture and heritage, and Museums. My formal qualifications and work experiences encompass the fields of: -Māori Heritage and Māori Collections Conservation -Cultural and Heritage Resource Management and Preservation -Māori Meeting House Conservation -Meeting House building and Whakairo -Kōwhaiwhai (traditional painting) -Raranga (traditional weaving – including making tukutuku, taniko, korowai and kakahu, kete) -Whare Tu-taua (making weapons) – Carver -Taonga Puoro (making traditional musical instruments) – Carver and Musician -Ta Moko (traditional Māori tattooing)

Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Koata, Te Taoū – Ngāti Whatua 

Tāmihana has lead and taught many community-based wānanga exploring the creation of Taonga Puoro, their associated pūrakau(stories) and their use as musical instruments. Outside of this environment, he has also frequented Te Kōkī, The New Zealand School Of Music, as a guest lecturer in Ethnomusicology studies and as a teacher of performance, particularly within Haka, moteatea and Taonga Puoro.

Tāmihana’s passion for Tikanga and Te Reo have lead him to the composition of karakia and moteatea, specifically used to encapsulate and retain the knowledge pertaining to Taonga Puoro. These resources will serve as a set of tools to ensure that intergenerational learnings will be passed on from our tūpuna.

The Tuari Brothers channel themes of cultural identity, whānau, love and life through te reo Māori lyric, rhyme and song. Unique to this trio, is a warm, masculine and compelling sound that resonates so well because as brothers they have a similar timbre and attitude to music, dance and performance. All brothers are seasoned kapa haka exponents, vocalists, composers and music arrangers.

During the pō whakangahau of Uhi Tai, the Tuari Brothers will perform live an exclusive debut of a waiata specially composed for this kaupapa, centred on Tangaroa as the key theme.

Beautifully crafted in collaboration with Maui Studios, this short film offers a powerful exploration of the project’s findings, brought to life through in-person interviews with a diverse group of participants including researchers, Beth Tupara-Katene, Te Pūoho Kātene, and Te Aomihia Walker; tohunga, Nick Tupara and Derek Lardelli; fishers, Norman Ngaira, Ken Houkamau; waka ama enthusiast, Walton Walker; and featured artists Erena Koopu, and Rina and Tai Kerekere.

Structured around the core research ethos of whanaonga matua—the elements of a waka (Te Tauihu, Te Haumī, and Te Taurapa)—the film delves into the vision for tikanga-led governance, the pivotal role of Tangaroa at the heart of marine management, and the integration of mātauranga Māori with Western practices. Each section of the documentary explores different facets of marine governance layered with the research design principles ‘Ngā Pae Moana’, from interconnectedness and reciprocity to economic prosperity, wellbeing, self-determination, and local decision-making.

In her podcast series, Weaving our Worlds, Melanie Nelson seeks to foster mutual understanding between Māori and Pākehā in Aotearoa. Long-form conversations enable learning, insight and positive change. Topics are diverse ranging from te reo to the arts, and te Tiriti to the environment.

In this recorded episode, Melanie chats to Tangaroa Ararau project lead, Beth Tupara-Katene to discuss the whakapapa relationship between Māori and Tangaroa and Hinemoana, exploring how kaitiakitangi is factored into customary and commercial fisheries and how these can coexist or conflict within the same governance frameworks.

The kōrero explores potential pathways for future ocean governance that incorporates both Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Pākehā, aiming for a model that enhances biodiversity, sustains fishing stocks, and honours Te Tiriti.

Te Au o Te Moana is a podcast that aims to whakamana the voices of researchers, co-developers, Māori partners and communities of research and practice associated with Sustainable Seas and their relationship with the moana.

In an episode recorded at the recent Sustainable Seas Symposium, Astley chats to Tangaroa Ararau project lead, Beth Tupara-Katene to discuss how Tangaroa Ararau is reimagining the way we consider marine governance in Aotearoa. Kaupapa discussed includes the intersection of mātauranga Māori and Western science and the challenges and benefits of implementing tikanga-led management systems.

Dedicated to safeguarding our planet’s most precious resource, water, Frank Oscar Weaver is a storyteller, mentor, and leader in environmental advocacy. Starting his journey on the indigenous reservation of the Panambi’y, in his home country of Paraguay. Frank volunteered with Paraguay’s first environmental nonprofit to document the culture and struggle of the Guarani people which led to being officially welcomed into the tribe by spiritual leader Galeano Suarez. Through his podcast ‘Indigenous Earth Community,’ Frank amplifies global indigenous voices in a transformative mission to become true stewards of our planet.

In this recorded episode, Frank talks with Beth Tupara-Katene on the deep spiritual connection between Māori and the ocean, highlighting the importance of the whakapapa relationship with Tangaroa and Hinemoana in fostering responsibility towards the marine environment. Additionally, we examine the potential for integrating tikanga Māori into contemporary ocean governance and compare these practices with those of other indigenous cultures, underscoring our shared history as navigators and the universal respect for the ocean.