Gifted Sands | Exhibition and Workshops, Ruawharo Marae, Opoutama, Mahia, New Zealand. Contemporary and traditional Maori Art.

Pita Walker-Robinson

IWI: Ngati Kahungunu (Chairman - TIDAL ARTS SOCIETY INC.)

Resident in Wairoa, Pita is a weaver of great skill. An expert at executing piu-piu and whatu-kakahu, his work prized for it's fine detail and sophisticated design. As a piupiu creator, Pita's knowledge is extensive and comprehensive in all areas of manufacture from beginning to end. He has passed this knowledge to many experienced and novice weavers.

Nigel How (B.A.Soc.Sci)

IWI: Ngati Kahungunu
(Secretary - TIDAL ARTS SOCIETY INC.)

A Ngati kahungunu weaver who resides in Wairoa, Nigel has a passion for weaving and likes to experiment with his weaving style, while at the same time exercising an utmost respect for the art-form and the traditional bases it stems from. Nigel has experience in kete - both whakairo and whiri, whatu-kakahu and taaniko. Nigel is guided in his weaving by the old Maori saying "ano me he whare pungawerewere" - as if it were a spiders web.

Ngaromoana Raureti

IWI: Rongomaiwahine
(Board member - TIDAL ARTS SOCIETY INC.)

Ngaromoana works from her kitchen table overlooking the Opoutama marae and village. Her world is interwoven with her immediate environment and is tangibly represented by the blues of the oceans and nature's gifts of shells. The use of plaster and shells stems from the craftwork practiced by Maori women for Women's league displays of the 1950's and are based on tribal histories. Ngaromoana has been regularly exhibiting since 1987.

Pat Robinson

IWI: Ngati Kahungunu
(Board member - TIDAL ARTS SOCIETY INC.)

A Ngati Kahungunu artist who hails from Wairoa, Parekura's interests include Raranga, Whatu, Taaniko, Painting and Carving. An avid learner in her early eighties, Parekura enjoys new artistic experiences and is from a long line of very skilled weavers. She currently the matriarch of four generations of artists in her family.

Mere Whaanga (MPhil)

IWI: Ngati Rongomaiwahine, Ngati Kahungunu.
(Board member - TIDAL ARTS SOCIETY INC.)

I was born in Wairoa Hawkes Bay, and spent most of my life in the Tairawhiti area. I have three lifetime commitments - mother (of three), kaitiaki (of land and körerö associated with it), and artist (prominently expressed in writing, but also an illustrator and textile artist). My work has been mainly with and for Mäori. I have worked across tribal and cultural boundaries, have owned my own small businesses and participated in the management of major rural and urban organisations.

My bilingual children's books (The Legend of the Seven Whales of Ngai Tahu Matawhaiti; Tangaroa's Gift ,Te Kooti's Diamond and The Treaty) are the best-known examples of my writing. In recent years I have completed an MPhil in Mäori Studies and am about to launch A Carved Cloak for Tahu, the hapü history I completed whilst Mäori History Fellow with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

Trevor Sparks

(Board member - TIDAL ARTS SOCIETY INC.)

A local Opoutama based artist, Trevor Sparks has worked within the carving genre for over 12 years. His work is has had a firm grounding within detailed traditional carving, demonstrated in the refined detail in his stonework. Recent work is developing a more contemporary, simple aesthetic style. Trevor works with a variety of materials including Oamaru stone, Pounamu, Bone and Native wood.

Mahea Tomoana

IWI: Ngati Kahungunu

Residing in Opoutama, Mahea has been a practicing artist and coordinator of community and Iwi art development for 16 years. His art forms include Painting, Screenprinting and Sculpture. “I presently enjoy exploring methods of creating sculptures from driftwood, stone, shells, corrugated iron, No.8 wire which are sourced locally. The artworks promote appreciation of and care for the environment from an indigenous perspective. They are unique and popular as bach artworks and garden sculpture.”

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Desna Whaanga-Schollum (B.Des)

IWI: Ngati Rongomaiwahine, Ngati Kahungunu

Having graduated from her Bachelor in Visual Communications in 1997, Desna has traveled and worked nationally and throughout Europe. This has developed a cross-cultural framework, which lends depth to the graphic, fine art, environmental and web disciplines she explores.

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