He Toi Whakairo: Ka mānawatia e Te Papa he pātaka whakairo whakahirahira o ngā taonga whakairo Māori nō te whitu rautau
EMBARGOED UNTIL 22 MAY 2026
Ka whitu rautau. Ka kotahi rau e whā tekau ngā taonga. He toi ora, he toi tupu. Ko te pou tāne tēnei o te pātaka whakairo whakairinga kōrero ka tū ki Te Papa.
Ka uakina ko He Toi Whakairo: The Art of Māori Carving he pātaka whakairinga kōrero tūnga roa ki Te Papa hei te 29 o Ākuhata, 2026. Ka takapauria atu ngā kura whakairo matawhānui i roto i te whā tekau tau koni atu, nō te taiāwhionga o Te Maori i Amerika Tōpū.
E whakatōpūtia nei kia kotahi rau e whā tekau ngā taonga nō ngā kohinga a Te Papa, ka kitea hoki ngā taonga nō roto i te rautau 14, tatū ake ki ngā toki matua o te wā, e whakakitea nei he kawa nui he kawa roa he toi tupu he toi ora i pū mai rā i te toi o Hawaiki.
He whānui ngā taonga ka toroa e te manuhiri, arā, he kei, he pounamu, he poupou, he hoe, he hani, he taonga pūoru, he titipou, he korotao, he taonga whakarākei, ka mutu he taonga tapu.
He mea whakairo ēnei taonga i ngā rawa māori, rawa hou anō, arā, i te rākau, i te wheua, i te kōhatu, i te anga pāua, i te pounamu me te uku, tae atu ki te rawa hou ē kīia nei, ko te solidsurface.
Ka kitea te poupou māwhero e 2.1 mita te tāroa nā Rangi Kipa, he mea waihanga i te rawa kōhatu nei he rite tonu te kite i ngā papa kīhini – tae atu ki te korotao āhua kiriaro a Ngaromia Riley, arā, ko Kapaha Queen, e piu poi ana. Ka kitea hoki ētahi mahi e pōkarea ai ngā whakaaro mō tēnei mea te whakairo.
E ai ki te kaiwhakarite kaupapa takirua, a Dougal Austin: ‘Ko te tukunga iho o te mātauranga ora te pou tāne o te pātaka whakairinga kōrero: atu i ngā taputapu kōhatu ki ngā hangarau o ēnei rā, atu i ngā āhua tuku iho ki ngā rawa me ngā tae hou, kitakita nei.”
Ka aro a He Toi Whakairo ki ngā wahine toki whakairo, arā ki a Stevie Houkāmau me Ngaromia Riley, e tāmatahia nei te wāhine i ngā wāhi i noho rangatira ai te tāne.
Ka whakamihia e te kairauhī, e Jana Pātete, te tauira pūtake o mua me ngā mahi a ngā toki whakairo wāhine o ēnei rā.
“Kua oti tā tēnei kaupapa ngā ringatoi wahine Māori te whakatōpū mai e whakatere nei i te ao whakairo i noho rangatira ai te tāne, me te tārai ara whakapapa, ara auaha, māreikuratanga hou anō mō rātou.”
“Hei whakamahara ake anō, nō mai noa te wāhine e whakairo ana, ka hoki ake te titiro ki te momo pēnei i a Jane Tōpia, nāna tētahi wharenui i whakairo i ngā tau 1930.”
He hira anō te wā o tēnei kaupapa mō Te Papa, kua eke ki tōna whā tekau tau nō te taiāwhionga o Te Maori i whakakitea ai ngā taonga Māori ki te ao whānui.
Ko te manako ia o Te Kaihautū o Te Papa, o Ahorangi Arapata Hakiwai, mā te pātaka whakairinga kōrero nei e tahuri mai ai te titiro o te ao.
“Nā runga i tōna tāmore o te mātauranga Māori, ka whai wāhi tēnei pātaka whakairinga kōrero ki ngā matapakinga ā-ao e pā ana ki te toi Taketake, ngā tikanga whare taonga, me te toitūtanga o ōna ahurea ake.”
Ka ahu mai te ingoa o He Toi Whakairo i tēnei whakatauākī nā Piri Sciascia i tito, i te wā o Te Maori: He toi whakairo, he mana tangata, koia, ko tēnei whakaohonga whakahīhī ahurea.
E rima tau e tū ai tēnei pātaka whakairinga kōrero nā te pūtea a te Wellington City Council, Te Papa Foundation, Go Media, Wellington Airport, me Dulux.
Toro haere: tepapa.nz/HeToiWhakairo
Whakatairanga/ngā tatau o te whakaaturanga
Kāore anō ētahi taonga kia whakaatuhia ki te tūmatawhānui.
147 ngā taonga nō te kohinga o Te Papa.
Neke atu i te 700 tau o te mahi whakairo.
Ka hoki atu ētahi taonga ki ngā tau 1300.
E iwa ngā taonga i whakairotia i Te Upoko o Te Ika.
Tawhito rawa: He pūrua Rei Niho Paraoa nō te rautau 1300 ka noho hei taonga kaumātua rawa o te whakaaturanga.
Nui rawa: Ko Ruapani nā Matthew Randall he pou tokomanawa e 3.4 mita te tāroa.
Tōririki rawa: He Uhi e 30 mitamano te roa, 10 mitamano te whānui.
Kōhungahunga rawa: he mea tono i te tau 2025 mō te whakaaturanga a Whaka-iro, nā Sam Hauwaho i whakairo.
Taumaha rawa: Ko tā Wero Tāroi poupou ko Taporahitaua he 149 manokaramu tōna taumaha.
KUA MUTU
Kaimahi pāpāho Heather Byrne | 029 601 0120 | heather.byrne@tepapa.govt.nz
Whakaahua
Please note that this content is being supplied to you for the purposes of the He Toi Whakairo press release only. Media may not crop, alter, or edit the images in any way without Te Papa’s prior permission. The content must be fully attributed as per the provided credit line(s).
Wakahuia (treasure box), 1750-1850. Purchased 2004. Te Papa (ME023357)
Karetao (marionette), Kapahaka Queen by Ngaroma Riley, 2024. Purchased 2025. Te Papa (ME024850)
Hei tiki, Ruatepupuke by Stacy Gordine, 2009. Purchased 2010. Te Papa (2010-0025-1)
Pātītī (hatchet), 1800-1900. Bequest of Kenneth Athol Webster, 1969. Te Papa (WE001873)
Exhibition co-curator Dougal Austin with hoe urunga (steering paddle) by Clive Fugill, 2001. Photo by Tia Nepia-Su‘a, 2026, Te Papa
Exhibition co-curators Dougal Austin and Jana Pātete with poupou (side wall post) Tamarau, by Rangi Kipa, 2019. Photo by Tia Nepia-Su‘a, 2026, Te Papa
Exhibition co-curators Jana Pātete and Dougal Austin with poupou (side wall post) Te Ngaru Ranapia, by Lyonel Grant, 2020. Photo by Tia Nepia-Su‘a, 2026, Te Papa
Exhibition co-curators Dougal Austin and Jana Pātete with Whakapapa, by Stevei Houkāmau, 2021. Photo by Tia Nepia-Su‘a, 2026, Te Papa
Tekoteko (gable figure), 1850-1900. Te Papa (ME011429)
Paepae pātaka (threshold for storehouse), 1650–1850. Oldman Collection. Gift of the New Zealand Government, 1992. Te Papa (OL000041)
Whakapapa by Stevei Houkāmau, 2021. Purchased 2021. Te Papa (ME024669)
Hoe urunga (steering paddle) by Clive Fugill 2001. Purchased 2016. Te Papa (ME024210)
Poupou (side wall post), Te Ngaru Ranapia by Lyonel Grant 2020. Commissioned by Te Papa (ME024645)
Poupou (side wall post), Tamarau, by Rangi Kipa 2019. Commissioned by Te Papa (ME024299)