Wairau Māori Art Gallery

19/10/2026

05/10/2026

Moerewa Primary lit up our current exhibition ‘Whakawhiti’ recently, with their bright minds! ✨

Inspired by the artworks, we shared mātauranga, played art games inspired by the artists’ processes, and debated the pūrākau referenced in the artworks on the walls.

Their incredible kaiako, Whaea Jo, showed us what inspirational teaching looks like. Ka rāwe Whaea Jo! ❤️

Both you and the taitamariki are taonga to your beautiful hapori.

Ngā mihi for coming to visit us at Wairau Māori Art Gallery! 💛 Whakawhiti features six key members of ToiwhakaATA Print Collective; Gabrielle Belz, Maude Cook-Davies, Vanessa Edwards, Jasmine Horton, Faith McManus and Alexis Neal. On until 22nd November 2026.

23/09/2026

Explore this work by Alexis Neal “a visual whakapapa”, with Educator Geva Downey. This work is on display now as part of a group show featuring six leading printmakers, ‘Whakawhiti: Toi WhakaTAA Toi WhakaATA’, running 1 August – 22 November 2026.

Neal’s ongoing body of work, To Lay, To Carry, To Hold, explores how identity and customary practice continue to shape contemporary material culture. Structured around the framework of a pepeha, the project unfolds across three interconnected bodies of work. The first is a suite of seven finely woven domestic whāriki, arranged in a narrative sequence and inspired by tukutuku — reimagining a visual whakapapa of introducing oneself.

Alexis Neal (Ngāti Awa, Te Ātiawa)
Tokomaru, Arapaoa, Motuere — Ko Waitohi tōku awa tapu — Piripiri, Arapaoa, Manaia Whare, Hine Poutini, Poupou, 2026
Suite of seven finely woven whāriki
Mono/relief printed & tā stained, Hahnemühle paper, 300gsm

21/09/2026

"...Art centres and galleries, particularly those in urban settings, became spaces where Māori artists could present works that reflected their experiences to a wider audience." Karl Chitham

From bold ideas to real talk from the creative frontlines — explore our editorial columns sharing stories that shape Aotearoa's creative scene.

10/09/2026

Explore ‘Ka Eke - To Ascend’ by Vanessa Wairata Edwards, with korero by Geva Downey.

Reclamation of text as visual culture is a pou of Vanessa Edwards work, represented here in our current show ‘Whakawhiti: Toi WhakaTAA Toi WhakaATA’. Celebrating 20 years of Toi Whakaata - Maori Print Collective Aotearoa.

Vanessa Wairata Edwards
(Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Kuri)

‘Ka Eke - To Ascend’ - Carved MDF on plinth

‘Ka Eke - To Ascend’ 2023
1/1, Woodcut relief print, on magnani insisioni 310 gsm paper, fixed to MDF, framed unglazed

28/08/2026

“Like the kiekie vine binding the ngahere, continue seeking the light.” 🌿

Vanessa Edwards considers literacy in all its forms as central to communication, connection, and belonging. Through the layering of histories — the act of cutting away and revealing — these works return to their source, reminding us to move beyond limitations and continue seeking the light.

As curator of this show, Vanessa brings together six founding members of the Toi Whakaata print collective. Challenging her rōpū to consider alternative ways of presenting print and printmaking, she exhibits her own original woodblock alongside the print itself — a reflection on whakapapa, tupuna and descendants.

👀Whakawhiti: Toi WhakaTAA Toi WhakaATA, 1 Aug - 22 Nov 2026

Vanessa Wairata Edwards (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Kuri) Vanessa Wairata Edwards

Ka Eke - To Ascend 2023 1/1, Woodcut relief print, on magnani insisioni 310 gsm paper, fixed to MDF, framed unglazed

Ka Eke - To Ascend - Whenua Blocks 2023 Carved MDF on plinth

📷Alan Squires

Toi Whakaata - Maori Print Collective Aotearoa

21/08/2026

“Between the river and the sea asks: who holds the land, who is held by it, and what is lost when the two are separated?”

Jasmine Horton’s exploding books evoke whenua and water through cyanotype, kōkōtuku bark and the geometric traditions of tāniko.

The quiet presence of the keffiyeh draws a parallel between Palestinian dispossession and the experience of Māori under colonisation in Aotearoa. These are not the same story, but share a structure of erasure and separation from land.

Made in solidarity and grief, the work reflects on our deep connection to place.
Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au.
I am the land, and the land is me.

Jasmine Horton (Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Tūwharetoa)
Between the river and the sea I
Between the river and the sea II
Between the river and the sea III
Between the river and the sea IV
Between the river and the sea V
2026 Toned cyanotypes on cotton paper and tilia wood

Currently showing as part of ‘Whakawhiti: Toi WhakaTAA Toi WhakaATA’
1 August 2026 — 22 November 2026

13/08/2026

We need to talk about Alexis Neal’s exquisite work ‘Nāu te rourou, Nāku te rourou’, featuring in our current show (I mean look at those shadows!)

The whakatauki “Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi”, with your basket and my basket the people will prosper is the foundation of this work. This whakatauki has been used over the years to describe Toi Whakaata and speaks to the sharing of resources and knowledge in the goal of a thriving people, culturally and iwi to iwi.

On display as part of ‘Whakawhiti, Toi WhakaTAA Toi WhakaATA’, curated by Vanessa Edwards, on until the 22 November.

Alexis Neal (Ngāti Awa, Te Atiawa) Nāu te rourou, Nāku te rourou’
2026
Kōkōwai Kete, whatu rua tāniko, Wax thread

📸 Air - Land - Sea - Whangarei Alan Squires

07/08/2026

Toi Whakaata in te whare! It was an epic turnout last week as we celebrated six printmakers whose influence and exemplary toi continue to resonate across generations.

Gabrielle Belz, Maude Cook-Davis, Jasmine Horton, Alexis Neal, Faith McManus, and Vanessa Edwards (Curator & Artist) have come together to commemorate 20 years of their print collective: Toi Whakaata - Maori Print Collective Aotearoa.

Whakawhiti: Toi WhakaTAA Toi WhakaATA is on from
1 August 2026 — 22 November 2026.

📸 Air - Land - Sea - Whangarei
Vanessa Wairata Edwards Faith McManus Alexis Neal Jasmine Horton

Nga mihi Toi Iho Creative New Zealand Foundation North and Lotto for the sponsorship as well as our patrons.

Mihi to McLeod's Brewery Wedding and Event Furniture in Northland Almighty for event support.

31/07/2026

We are incredibly proud! 🥲 🌺 This week, celebrations were held for the appointments of Dr Ngahuia Harrison (Ngátiwai) and Dr Sione Faletau (Taunga, Vava’u and Lakepa, Tongatapu) into permanent lecturing roles at Elam School of Arts, Waipapa Taumata Rau.
Elam School of Fine Arts.

We congratulate Ngahuia, Sione and the other wonderful staff with new roles at the University of Auckland.

Ngahuia wears many hats, one of them being a key member on our Board of Trustees. We are fortunate to share this haerenga with you ehoa.

Sione Faletau Ngahuia Harrison Ngātiwai Te Iwi Aperahama Edwards Keatley Te Moananui Hopkins
📸 Huhana Melanie Lyndon