
Why Māori art is firmly in the frame
The Aotearoa Art Fair opens today in Auckland amid a surge of national and international attention for Māori artists – a movement reshaping both New Zealand's creative economy and its global cultural brand.
Over four days, collectors, curators, and art lovers will gather at the Viaduct Events

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Scoop
20 hours ago
- Scoop
Rising Māori Artist Debuts Powerful Portrait Series At Aigantighe Art Gallery
Press Release – Aigantighe Art Gallery Born and raised in Timaru and brought up by her grandparents, Tealeis work is deeply personal. Through 26 striking photographic portraits, she honours the kaumtua who have shaped her life and continue to guide whnau and hapori (community) today. The Aigantighe Art Gallery is proud to present Whakahōnore i tō tātou taonga tuku iho, the first solo public art gallery exhibition by Timaru-based photographer Maania Tealei (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha). Opening 13 June 2025, this powerful exhibition highlights the strength, dignity, and enduring presence of kaumātua (Māori elders) across the Waitaha/Canterbury region. Born and raised in Timaru and brought up by her grandparents, Tealei's work is deeply personal. Through 26 striking photographic portraits, she honours the kaumātua who have shaped her life and continue to guide whānau and hapori (community) today. The portraits are taken in two parts: first in places of personal or ancestral meaning, and then in traditional Māori dress (kākahu) — offering a layered reflection of identity, whakapapa and belonging. 'This exhibition is a heartfelt tribute to our kaumātua, whose presence and wisdom continue to shape our communities and identities,' Aigantighe Exhibitions Curator Izzy Hillman said. 'It's also a reminder of how important it is to see Māori life, leadership and connection to whenua reflected in our public spaces.' Whakahōnore i tō tātou taonga tuku iho is not only significant for Tealei's artistic career, but for Māori contemporary art in Aotearoa. It offers a rare and moving celebration of intergenerational knowledge and cultural strength from within our own communities. Exhibition dates: The exhibition opens Friday 13 June at 6pm with a kapa haka performance and light kai provided. It runs until 10 August 2025 at the Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru.


Scoop
21 hours ago
- Scoop
Rising Māori Artist Debuts Powerful Portrait Series At Aigantighe Art Gallery
Whakahōnore i tō tātou taonga tuku iho: Honouring our Legacy The Aigantighe Art Gallery is proud to present Whakahōnore i tō tātou taonga tuku iho, the first solo public art gallery exhibition by Timaru-based photographer Maania Tealei (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha). Opening 13 June 2025, this powerful exhibition highlights the strength, dignity, and enduring presence of kaumātua (Māori elders) across the Waitaha/Canterbury region. Born and raised in Timaru and brought up by her grandparents, Tealei's work is deeply personal. Through 26 striking photographic portraits, she honours the kaumātua who have shaped her life and continue to guide whānau and hapori (community) today. The portraits are taken in two parts: first in places of personal or ancestral meaning, and then in traditional Māori dress (kākahu) — offering a layered reflection of identity, whakapapa and belonging. 'This exhibition is a heartfelt tribute to our kaumātua, whose presence and wisdom continue to shape our communities and identities,' Aigantighe Exhibitions Curator Izzy Hillman said. 'It's also a reminder of how important it is to see Māori life, leadership and connection to whenua reflected in our public spaces.' Whakahōnore i tō tātou taonga tuku iho is not only significant for Tealei's artistic career, but for Māori contemporary art in Aotearoa. It offers a rare and moving celebration of intergenerational knowledge and cultural strength from within our own communities. Exhibition dates: The exhibition opens Friday 13 June at 6pm with a kapa haka performance and light kai provided. It runs until 10 August 2025 at the Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru.

RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Kai Kara-France hopes to make history as the first Māori UFC flyweight champion
Kai Kara-France after his win against Tyson Nam in 2020. Photo: photosport When Kai Kara-France steps into the octagon, he brings the warrior spirit of all his ancestors with him. The Kiwi mixed martial artist is out to make history this month with a shot at becoming the first ever Māori UFC flyweight champion. Kara-France (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Ati Awa), said he feels bullet-proof carrying his culture into the cage. "I channel it when I step in there, and it gives me a lot of clarity and gives me clear intentions that I can do this. When I'm in there, there's no team to hide behind, but I'm not alone. I have all my tipuna behind me and it just allows me to kind of go inwards. I don't have to go looking for answers. It's always in me. "It's my identity, it's my anchor. Fighting is my mahi, it's what people know me as. But long before I was a fighter, that's the reason why I'm a fighter, is because of my ancestors, my, and that's the blueprint I go off because they would've been navigating and all these challenges that they've had to go through." Since entering the UFC in 2018, Kara-France has proudly showcased Māoridom to the world. "That's what makes our culture so beautiful. So what I'm doing now in the modern day, I bring culture with me and I want to let everyone know where I come from and I'm very proud of it, be unapologetically Māori, and what better way than to become the first flyweight Māori champion? And if I don't do it, who else will?" Kara-France said he was chasing mana for his sons. "That's what's fuelling me. When I'm in there, I'm that warrior version of myself. When I'm back home with my family, I'm that sensitive, compassionate, unconditional love that I give to my wife and my two boys. It's being able to navigate those different roles and responsibilities as a man to let a younger generation that you can do it all and there is a time and place for everything, but also just prioritising what is important, and that's culture, that's whānau. "I want to win this belt, defend a few times, and step away from the sport with a brain. Go up north, put my feet up, go fishing, hunting, and just live off the land and know that I've got no regrets, and show my boys that are looking up to me that their dad went out there and he chased his dreams." Kara-France wanted to inspire not only his sons, but all rangatahi. "When I first started, there wasn't a fight scene here. It was very underground. People used to see it as savage or thugs and it's cool to see that kind of support around us and know that the next generation is saying, 'I don't want to just be an All Black, I want to be a UFC fighter like Izzy or Kai or Dan.' It's cool that we're leaving that legacy behind." UFC 317 Kai Kara-France vs Alexandre Pantoja UFC Flyweight title 29 June New Zealand UFC flyweight Kai-Kara France. Photo: Facebook - Kai Kara France Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.