Tangaroawhai Mustang Ihaka Paraku has been working hard to produce his pieces that tell the story of his marae.
Photo / Matai O'Connor
Tangaroawhai Mustang Ihaka Paraku has been working hard to produce his pieces that tell the story of his marae.
Photo / Matai O'Connor
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Ākonga (students) of Toihoukura have been working dedicatedly on art pieces showing the skills nurtured since starting three years ago at Gisborne’s prestigious toi Māori school.
The exhibition at Toihoukura School of Māori Visual Art and Design, named Tātai Hono, willfeature the level three students’ pieces that encompass different kaupapa, such as the emotions felt during kapa haka, sharing pūrākau of marae, and the impacts humans have had on the taiao (environment).
Toihoukura was established in 1990 by Ivan Ehau under Tairāwhiti Polytechnic. Artists Sandy Adsett, Sir Derek Lardelli and Steve Gibbs joined the school in the following years, forming the foundation programme and continuing to develop the school.
Adsett left Toihoukura in 2002, to work within the Ngāti Kahungunu rohe, while Lardelli and Gibbs remained at the school and still teach there today.
Manaakitanga (care and protection) and whanaungatanga (family foundation) are the foundations of the Toihoukura environment, which helps students develop theirartistic practice.
Tangaroawhai Mustang Ihaka Paraku from Te Teko in the Bay of Plenty was drawn to the school after seeing his cousins' experiences at Toihoukura, which inspired him to pursue toi Māori (Māori art).
His mahi toi, which will be on display from Friday evening, is inspired by the real pou that feature on the maihi of his ancestral marae.
“Creating toi inspired by real pou, that have stories, is important as it keeps their stories alive for others to hear, or see them, because they can easily be lost,” Paraku said.
Kianu Joshua Weston Enoka-Rupapera, who is from Taranaki but raised in Auckland, said coming to Toihoukura was a “shot in the dark” for him as he applied during the tail end of the Covid-19 lockdowns and was not sure he would be accepted.
“But somehow, it was one of those really fortunate experiences when I got the acceptance letter,” he said.
Kianu Joshua Weston Enoka-Rupapera with his pieces that represent different emotions felt during haka.
Photo / Matai O'Connor
Enoka-Rupapera has a passion for mahi toi and over the past three years has developed his artistic ability.
His pieces focus on the emotions felt through haka, such as the butterflies felt before doing a haka, and the sadness, and joy that can come from performing.
Each of the four pieces are wheku (faces) each representing a different emotion.
Two wooden pieces on each side will represent the women on the sides of the haka or could also be viewed as wings.
“My showcase stems from how Māori men deal with their mental health. For me, personally, if I’m not doing mahi toi, haka is a safe place for me to be able to express myself physically.”
Nearing the end of his third year, Enoka-Rupapera has noticed the development of his work.
“I look back at some of my earlier pieces and I can tell what I could change or make better now.”
Coming to the final goalpost, he feels good about his journey, especially with his classmates.
“As a whole class, we have all managed to feed off each other which has taken off the stress about everything. You have people supporting you and helping you along the whole way,” Enoka-Rupapera said.
Omega-Myrrh Paiti from Gisborne has been focusing on the taiao (environment) such as the ocean and uses her art to showcase the history and how it connects people.
Omega-Myrrh Paiti working to complete her 3D art of a whale and a shark covered in cowrie shells.
Photo / Matai O'Connor
It features painted canvases and 3D pieces of a whale and a shark covered in cowrie shells.
At last year’s exhibition, Omega experimented with 3D shapes and shells but decided to do more in the year since.
“My pieces are about how we value the taiao, how true wealth is in nature and monetary wealth has nothing on it,” Paiti said.
The painted canvas tells a story about the impact humanity’s greed has had on the oceans, showing taniwha and tangata interacting along with textured puhoro.
“My pieces tell the message that it’s our duty to keep it clean and govern it. With the way the world is with greed and corruption, it has caused it to become dirty. It’s not about our fight against fellow man, but our fight against unseen forces.”
Throughout the year students have been participating in six exhibitions including locations in Ōtautahi and Ōtaki and locally.
Two students were invited to participate in this year’s Te Tairāwhiti Light Festival.
The class was part of a student-led initiative to take an exhibition to Ōtautahi in July in support of one of their fellow students who couldn’t complete their final year because of cancer with the proceeds going towards helping the student.
They have been led by kaiako Erena Koopu since the beginning of the year, her teaching practice allows each student to explore and express their individuality within a safe and nurturing space.
Toihoukura kaiako Steve Gibbs said this year’s level 3 students were a rich patch of talent.
“They have been pushing each other along the journey and supporting one another. Their showcases they are creating are preparing them for when they leave and what’s next on their artistic journey,” Gibbs said.
“It’s been interesting watching them grow over the time they have been here, from my view that is the most gratifying part of it all, seeing the students exploring whatever they want and being able to adapt and change once you have a kaupapa you want to produce,” Gibbs said.
Tātai Hono opens this Friday at 6pm at Toihoukura 80 Cobden St, Tūranganui a Kiwa.
Matai O’Connor, Ngāti Porou, has been a journalist for five years and Kaupapa Māori reporter at the Gisborne Herald for two years.
