Wai 3

During this month-long exhibition, local tamariki will declare a call for action to protect, clean and maintain the quality of water as a living taonga. Through various art forms, their works will express the values instilled within them by whānau and community around water conservation and positive biodiverse strategies they have explored in the waterways of Ōtaki.

Led by Te Aho Tū Roa educator Te Atawhai Kumar and Debra Bustin, tamariki and rangatahi were immersed in a 2-day workshop full of fun, learning, creativity and te reo Māori.

WAI3 opens on Tuesday 8th December and is Māoriland’s second Taiao Tuesday event for 2020. Tamariki and rangatahi of Ōtaki will present this show with their collection of clay works alongside Ōtaki artist Awhina Osborne.

Awhina and her mum Dr. Aroha Spinks will share an artist floor talk as she reveals the final work in her Atua Wāhine series, Mukukai - a tribute to their
prowess as guardians of our natural world.

WAI3 is also supported with an astonishing installation of woven eel nets by Ngā Puhi artist, Anne Drenah Kākā.
Toi Matarau is also excited to host Te Rarawa and Ngāpuhi artist Nikau Hindin who will be in attendance to share the new film on her work, Aute a waka migration plant which has travelled throughout Polynesia and the Pacific, brought to Aotearoa many generations ago.

Directed by Nicole Hunt, Aute showcases Nikau’s work with Aute (barkcloth) over the past seven years.

The film explores the importance of preserving Indigenous rituals and maintaining a harmonious relationship between land and tangata whenua. Highly sought after to show her textile works of art, Nikau is dedicated to the revitalisation of this ancient fibre and it’s sustainable qualities in an environment challenged by climate change.

Wai3 is presented with Te Aho Tū Roa Trust with support from Creative New Zealand.