Pictured: Tauira and kaiako at the opening of their exhibition in Rotorua, Saturday 18 October 2025.

Every year many of our toi tauira have the opportunity to showcase their mahi toi at a dedicated exhibition.

Held in venues such as galleries and libraries, these events offer whānau, friends, and the wider public a chance to see the beautiful result of hard work and dedication and perhaps find their own inspiration along the way.

From September through to November, free exhibitions will be held across the motu, showcasing the work of our tauira, from those studying certificates to those completing bachelor’s degrees.

Toi disciplines at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa include raranga (weaving), rauangi (visual art), mau rākau, Māori performing arts, and whakairo (carving).

One tauira proud to be exhibiting their mahi toi this year is, Amèlia Homs Ferrer.

Ngā Pou o te Whare Pora Hei Whakanui i a Mākareti Papakura has 56 taonga on display at Rotorua Library from 20 October to 7 November. The exhibition is dedicated to Mākareti Papakura, the first Indigenous woman to study at Oxford University and who was recently awarded a posthumous masters degree for her work exploring the customs and practices of Te Arawa from a female perspective.

Amèlia is in her final year of Maunga Kura Toi, and this is the first public exhibition where her mahi is on display.

Her taonga, Ngā Manawa e Rima, tells of her whakapapa.

“The biggest one represents Aotearoa and te ao Māori, the culture of my heart. I’m from Barcelona, so one kete is for my Catalan heritage, and there’s one also for my Arabic side. The blue and gold one represents my Chinese partner. The last one, in the middle, is me which weaves together all my whakapapa, who I am, the journey I’ve been on, and where I’m going.”

Maunga Kura Toi kaiako, Margaret Belshaw, loves seeing the exhibition coming to life every year, which the final-year tauira are required to work together to create.

“There’s 18 level 7s, and they come from all over the motu to study our programme here. They must work together to create the exhibition – some of them are doing the display, others are creating the labels, some are making sure we all get fed.”

The ones studying certificates are also encouraged to display their mahi toi to become familiar with the process and have pride in seeing their mahi on display.

The tauira develop relationships that are like whānau, and they are excited for each other as much as they are for themselves to see the mahi toi on display.

Visit an exhibition near you.

Find out more about our Toi Māori (Art) programmes.