Learning the art of raranga may not seem like a life-changing activity, but for recent graduates Toni Kakau and Zelda Te Pairi, this practice has been exactly that.

Tereinamu Hakopa has a thirst for knowledge and is dedicated to sharing the knowledge she gains with those around her.

In a creative field largely dominated by non-Māori artists, ceramicist Tracy Keith (Ngāpuhi) is always happy to educate others about how Māori view and use uku (clay).

Descended from a long line of undertakers, it’s no surprise that it was tangi that brought Delano Murray (Ngāti Kurī) to Heretaunga, where he’s a funeral director for Simplicity Funerals and studying Toi Paematua Level 5 in raranga with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

As a young girl, Barbara Wheto always had a fascination with harakeke and the art of weaving. But growing up in an era where being Māori and Māori culture were scorned upon, she was never encouraged to explore the art form.

The 2023 Dr. Buck Nin Memorial Scholarship recipient for Māori contemporary art was 23-year-old Antonia van Sitter, who put the funds towards completing her Master of Architecture thesis.

Joy Gilgen had always thought that raranga was a practice reserved for older generations, but after having her first pēpē in 2022, she had the urge to do something holistic and reground herself in te ao Māori.

Jennifer Dickerson, a self-proclaimed "Third Culture Kid" due to her unique upbringing around the world, has discovered who she is through art.

Marewa Severne embodies the very essence of what it means to be wāhine Māori. She brings this integrity and strength to her teaching, with a ready smile, positivity, and a willingness to elevate mātauranga Māori in her life and her work.

A desire to share knowledge on marae up the coast resulted in the first exhibition at Rāhui Marae for Talei Teariki’s Level 4 and 5 Raranga tauira recently. Titled ‘Waiapu’, the exhibition featured weavers from Rangitukia, Ruatōrea, Waipiro, Tikitiki, Te Araroa, Hicks Bay and Te Karaka.

The seed of Kahu Collective was planted back in 2013, when Lisa Harding, Cathy Payne and Corabelle Summerton crossed paths with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s stall at the Womens Expo, showcasing our Toi programmes.

Karen Nel ventured onto the Toi Maruata course in Porirua to explore indigenous arts in this part of the world and found out more about herself in the process.

Wendy-Lee McKee-Warner’s love for art started at high school, where she spent all her time hanging out in the art room.

When Raranga kaiako Laurette Madden-Morehu recieved a kete as a seven-year old at a whānau reunion, it ignited a lifelong curiosity of mahi raranga.

Alex Heperi spends her days working as a senior architectural graduate, working in the architectural industry but by night she’s completing her studies towards the Maunga Kura Toi Bachelor of Māori Art degree at Te Wananga o Aotearoa.

A single mum who dropped out of high school and never thought higher education was for her has not only completed a degree in Māori art but is now preparing for her first solo exhibition in Kirikiriroa.

Cydne Price has a message for anyone studying Toi Māori: don’t focus on the little things, it’s better to look at the bigger picture.

Maraea Peawini was eight years old when she sat intently watching her nanny weave a kete. That experience for Maraea (Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi, Pākehā) planted a seed to learn more about the intricate art of raranga (weaving).

Tauranga kindergarten teacher Toia Palmer plans to use her own teaching experiences and qualifications gained at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to support other early childhood teachers to grow their understanding and application of kaupapa Māori.

Erin says she always held a longing for Toi-Māori – and a fascination for the art of raranga (weaving) - and the amazing things that could be made from harakeke (flax) and the refined, silky product within it, muka.

Nephi Tupaea won the Supreme Award for costume design at Auckland’s Pasifika Festival in the early 90s and is now back in Heretaunga studying towards a Diploma in Indigenous and Māori Art at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Talei (Te Whānau a Takimoana) is immersed in her Ngāti Porou roots where she teaches raranga (Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art) through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.