Skip Content

ART COLLECTION CURATOR: Margaret Aull 

The Te Wānanga o Aotearoa art collection is one of the largest contemporary and traditional Māori art collection in the southern hemisphere with more than 1000 art pieces worth $3.5 million.

But “priceless” is how Te Poutiaki Toi - Art Collection Curator Margaret Aull describes Te Kōpuni Kura collection, as each piece retains a piece of wānanga history and whakapapa.

“Developed over 30 years, Te Kōpuni Kura holds the work that has helped shape our wānanga sites as a Māori education provider,” says Margaret, who has been cataloguing and developing the collection since 2007.

“Toi has remained an integral part of the organisational beginnings. Whakairo and raranga are our founding programmes.” Pou whakairo, stained glass murals, tukutuku panels, large paintings and prints from tauira, kaiako and other artists make up the collection.

One of many Te Kōpuni Kura jewels are the Buck Nin Panels, 1997 on display at Te Puna Mātauranga.

Nin was instrumental in pushing for government to recognise and fund wānanga as tertiary institutions.

He and his contemporaries were part of a generation that integrated Māori visual arts into the curriculum for New Zealand schools.

Margaret is on a mission to increase art appreciation and understanding through a series of walk-and-talk seminars at Te Puna Mātauranga.

She encourages kaimahi at all wānanga sites to “stretch their worldview” and “start a dialogue” by taking a moment to engage with their mahi toi.


 Back to news & events

Published On: 15 April 2015

Article By: Alice Te Puni



Other Articles

  • 31 July 2025

    Whānau fuelled success at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

    Nadia MacDonald’s journey through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s Diploma in Small Business and Project Management highlights the power of whānau support, Māori values, and practical learning. Discover how she balanced work, study, and parenting to achieve success and uplift her community.

  • 24 July 2025

    Tamariki once were cherished

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s Te Manawahoukura Rangahau Centre releases Taku Waipiataata, Taku Hei Tāwhiri, a powerful report calling for a revival of gentle, respectful Māori parenting. Discover how tūpuna child-rearing practices can transform whānau wellbeing and uplift future generations.

  • 24 July 2025

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa chief executive Evie O’Brien announced as Te Kura Toroa

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa celebrates its 40th anniversary by bestowing chief executive Evie O’Brien with the enduring title of Te Kura Toroa. Discover the cultural significance of this new role and its reflection of leadership, kaitiakitanga, and Māori values.

  • 23 July 2025

    Māori musician's reo Māori journey leads to wānanga kaiako role

    Jordyn Rapana, known as Jordyn With A Why, shares her inspiring journey of learning te reo Māori to raise her tamariki in a reo-speaking home. From immersion study to becoming a kaiako at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, discover how music, whānau, and culture shaped her path.