→ Arawhetu Berdinner
(Te Arawa, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue)
Arawhetu is a multidisciplinary artist based in Pōneke, Wellington. Her carving is primarily with hard stone, creating taonga as adornment pieces to be worn and cherished. She considers that all kōhatu tell their story of genesis, linking us to the processes of the natural world and back to the atua. Although a relative new-comer to the carving-world, Arawhetu enjoys building connections with other carvers and adding to her kete of knowledge.
Having completed her BFA Honours in 2008, Arawhetu is now returning to complete a Masters in Fine Arts at Massey University 2025-2026.
→ Christine Harvey
(Kai Tahu whānui, Kati Mamoe, Moriori, Ngati Mutunga, Te Ati Awa, Ngati Toa Rangatira)
Christine (Chris) Harvey grew up in Christchurch where she lives with her hunau/whānau. She is a whaea, teacher and mentor, a reo component, a passionate conservationist and always an artist. Christine has a very diverse range of skills of which primarily focus on Māori and Moriori motif and design, both contemporary and traditional. Her passion is transformation through the dissemination of mātauranga, of which toi is the language. Moko, whakairo, whatu muka and fabrication are just some forms that she utilises for reclaiming tino rangatiratanga.
→ Chrissy Paul
(Tuhoe, Ngati Awa, Te Arawa, Rongowhakata)
Chrissy Reremoana Paul is a graduate of the Waiariki Polytech Craft Design Programme. She is a Multimedia artist who lives in Whakatane. Among her commissioned works are murals for the cafeteria at Waiariki Polytechnic, the Department of Social Welfare foyer in Rotorua, and the Family Violence Prevention Coordinating Committee head office in Wellington. She has also designed numerous logos and t-shirt designs and is the recipient of a sculpture award from the Rotorua Art Gallery. Chrissy has explored narratives of Māori women in mythology as a focus of her work, and for the last 10 years has been carving clay.
→ Heidi Brickell
(Te Hika a Pāpāuma, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tara, Rangitāne, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Apakura)
Heidi Brickell's multi-disciplinary practice draws on the āhuatanga of Tangaroa in tension with those of Tāne Mahuta through her multidisciplinary practice. She is currently studying Toi Whakarākai Heke Whakairo at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Ōtaki and has had mentoring in pounamu and stone carving from tohunga whakairo pounamu Aaron Grieves (Ngāti Raukawa / Ngāti Toa / Ngāti Te Wehi). Recent solo shows include Wā We Can’t Afford at Hastings Art Gallery (2025) and A Koru is a Trajectory, at Enjoy Gallery (2024). She was also included in recent survey shows Aotearoa Contemporary at Auckland Art Gallery and Springtime is Heartbreak at Christchurch Art Gallery. She is represented by Laree Payne Gallery and has work held in collections of Christchurch Art Gallery, Auckland Art Gallery, The Dowse Art Museum, Auckland University, Te Wānanga o Aoteaora, and Te Haerenga, as well as private collections.
→ Hollie Tawhiao
(Ngāti Tiipa, Pākeha)
Hollie completed her Master of Contemporary Arts with distinction at Te Pūkenga | WINTEC, Kirikiriroa. She also holds a PGDip in Museum Studies with distinction from Massey University and received her BFA Hons from ELAM, Auckland. Based in Kirikiriroa, Hollie is a published academic writer, reviewer, curator, artist, and researcher. Her work values whakapapa and whimsy, recognising the benefits of curated levity as a lens on te ao and the futurity of whakapapa. She was previously RAMP Gallery Manager at WINTEC prior to her current role as Kaitiaki Mātangireia at the University of Waikato. She practises as a carver and painter.
→ Janine Tito
(Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu, Waikato)
As a Karanga Toi Māori, Janine Tito is dedicated to reclaiming and retaining Toi Māori through her work as an educator. Her greatest achievements are her students, whom she guides into the pathways of Toi Māori, helping them embrace mātauranga Māori and apply it with meaning and mana. Whakairo and uku are Janine's chosen vehicles on this haerenga, shaping both her practice and teaching. Through her mahi, she helps students understand the depth behind designs, ensuring they are used appropriately and with purpose. A lifelong learner, she thrives in spaces with like-minded creatives, especially wāhine students and artists, where they can share, grow, and uplift Toi Māori together.
→ Jay Clothier-Simmonds
(Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Ranginui)
Jay Clothier Simmonds’ introduction to mahi toi (art) began with her grandmother, a weaver who taught her the meanings of symbols and signs. During her school holidays, she spent time with her at their marae, Poututerangi, and developed a fascination with the carvings at the nearby Tureneina marae. This interest in shapes, sizes, and symbols led her to experiment with creating various objects in her youth.
After building her home on Waiheke, Jay began to contemplate her own ta moko, studying design and patterns, particularly those seen in the whare wānanga during Te Reo Māori classes at the local marae. In 2012, she started formal training in Whakairo at TWoA in Mangere, under the guidance of Cory Boyd and Bobby Te Huia.
In 2015, while working as a grounds person at Otamatea High School, Jay began teaching whakairo to students, continuing her studies. She completed a BA in Whakairo through Maunga Kura Toi, NorthTec in 2017, and a Diploma in Adult Teaching through TWoA. She also exhibited her work and acknowledged the mentorship of Te Kuiti Stewart and Terese Moriarty.
Jay taught NZQA whakairo Unit Standards at Otamatea High School from 2018 and began formal secondary teacher training through Ako Mātātupu Teach First NZ in 2021. She taught at Tikipunga High School, where her students’ work was showcased at the Ringa Toi Exhibition at Te Papa. Jay graduated as a secondary teacher in whakairo and taught for three years, guided by mentors including Michelle Johansson, Whetu Nathan, and Te Aomihia Taua.
In 2024, Jay became Head of Faculty for Te Aka Matua at Whangārei Boys’ High School, leading the whakairo program for over 350 students. Her educational goal is to provide equitable outcomes and help students deepen their cultural understanding and self-identity, empowering them to excel in other areas of their education.
Outside of teaching, Jay is focused on developing her own practice as a carver and educator. She enjoys learning from other cultures, growing food, creating dishes, and managing private commissions. She also participates in farming, building projects, and organizing family events
→ Keri-Mei Zagrobelna
(Te Āti Awa, Whānau-ā-Apanui)
Keri-Mei Zagrobelna is a full-time jeweller and artist based in Wellington, Te Whanganui-a-Tara. She also works as a jewellery tutor, arts mentor, and explores murals, sculpture, carving, photography, and installations.
Her practice bridges adornment and visual art, deeply rooted in her contemporary Māori heritage. Raised in the world of museums and art, she brings this lineage into her work, creating unique, expressive pieces that speak to identity and storytelling.
A Whitireia BaPPa graduate (2012), Keri-Mei has exhibited and lectured extensively in Aotearoa and abroad. She carries the Toi IhoTM mark, ensuring the authenticity and quality of her Māori-made jewellery. Through her work, she seeks to connect with communities and uplift future indigenous makers, including plans for a scholarship program, Moanaraoa, in honour of her late grandmother and mother.
→ Neke Moa
(Te Whare a Papaīra, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Ahuriri, Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa)
Neke Moa’s practice seeks to promote hauora (well-being) by deepening connections between tāngata, tohunga, and atua. Using materials from the taiao (environment), and drawing on customary and contemporary processes, she works to make mātauranga and pūrākau newly accessible. Her work explores our connections within the spaces of the seen and unseen, the place where wairua resides and creativity is sourced.
→ Ngaroma Riley
(Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Pākehā)
Ngaroma Riley is an artist, curator, and people connector based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. She’s a co-founder of Shared Lines Collaborative, an arts collective using art to develop resilience.
Ngaroma began her carving journey making Buddhist statues while living and working in Japan. Since returning to Aotearoa in 2020 she has completed a Certificate in Whakairo at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. In 2022 she built a storehouse for a sculptural installation at Kaitaia and was shortlisted for the 2023 Kingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award. In 2025, Ngaroma won the Molly Morpeth Canaday Major Art Award. She is known for her karetao (hand-carved puppets) and love of chainsaws.
→ Paerau Corneal
(Ngati Uenuku ki Maunganui o te ao, Ngati Tuwharetoa)
Paerau Corneal is an Uku artist and sculptor. She is a founding member of Nga Kaihanga Uku, the national collective of Maori clay artists. In this collaboration of ideas, techniques and mātauranga Maori, Corneal has developed a body of sculptures of mana wahine in clay.
Paerau graduated with a Diploma of Craft Design Maori at Waiariki Polytechnic in Rotorua 1990, and MMVA at Massey Palmerston North in 2009.
She was commissioned for Treasures of the Underworld, 1992 in an exhibition of NZ Ceramics at Expo, Seville. From 2013 -2019 Corneal worked with Laureate Dancer and Choreographer Louise Potiki Bryant in the dance, performance, video and sound collaboration 'Kiri' and the whakapapa of clay. In between Paerau has exhibited widely both at home and abroad.
→ Tessa Harris
(Ngapuhi, Ngai Tai, Te Waiohua)
Tessa Harris is an Auckland based carver holding a bachelor of Maori Visual Arts in Whakairo. She has a passion and appreciation for all forms of Toi Maori with a special interest in raranga. She is a mandated artist for Ngai Tai ki Tamaki, and has been commissioned to create various public works around Tamaki, sharing the rich history of the area through design and mahi toi.
In 2021 she won the Auckland Architecture Awards for her piece Te Nukuao. She is a member of Te Rā Ringa Raupā, a group which formed to recreate the only known woven Māori sail Te Rā, currently held within the collections of the British Museum. To date they have created more than three sail replicas and have travelled the motu to share their skills and techniques with other groups wanting to learn.
→ Toimairangi Taiepa
(Kai Tahu, Kati Mamoe, Moriori, Ngati Mutunga, Te Ati Awa, Ngati Toa Rangatira, Tuhoe, Ngati Whare)
Tomairangi Taiepa is an emerging artist whose practice spans digital art, animation, drawing and acrylic painting. They are also practising traditional Māori techniques such as Whakaairo and Tāmoko. They have taken part in several significant projects and exhibitions, showcasing a blend of contemporary and traditional art forms.
→ Tui Hobson
Tāmaki Makaurau artist Tui Hobson’s sculpture career has spanned 3 decades and draws on her Cook Island heritage. Tui works in recycled native woods, stone, cast glass and, most recently, in bronze. Her works range from small-scale pieces to large outdoor sculptures.
Tui has undertaken commissions and residencies in NZ and internationally. Her public outdoor works include carved seats for the Le Quesnoy commemorative gardens in Northern France and most recently a carved pou for the gardens of a Tāmaki Makaurau rehabilitation centre.
→ Zena Elliott
(Ngāi Te Rangi, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Awa)
Zena Elliott is a contemporary transdisciplinary artist and creative researcher whose practice explores painting, whakairo (carving), installation, academia, and research. Their work stimulates discussions about gender, fluidity, visibility, Indigenous subcultures, Indigenous sovereignty, and self-determination. Zena’s art practice navigates and integrates these diverse disciplines, creating a space for curiosity, innovation, and Indigenous creative practice, serving as a research inquiry.
Zena has participated in over 25 exhibitions, including the group exhibition Tānikoniko at Mangere Arts Centre in 2017, a major solo exhibition, Light Speed Ahead at Whakatane Library & Exhibition Centre in 2024, and Whakaohooho a series of paintings and carvings at Papakura Art Gallery in 2019. Zena’s work was exhibited at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art (2020). Over the years, Zena has developed a particular carved painting style unique to their art practice that stimulates discussion about gender, fluidity, visibility, and cultural identity.