A.J. Prime of Prime Artisan Knives carving his winning knife at his home workshop in Waipapa/Cable Bay.
A.J. Prime of Prime Artisan Knives carving his winning knife at his home workshop in Waipapa/Cable Bay.
A Far North artisan bladesmith and ringatoi (Māori artist) has taken out the best art piece award at the country’s largest bladeshow in Auckland at the weekend.
Waipapa/Cable Bay resident A.J. Prime of Prime Artisan Knives was among 53 exhibitors at the Ellerslie Event Centre as part of this year’s Auckland Bladeshow, displaying everything from hunting, kitchen and utility knives, to swords and axes.
As one of only a handful of full-time bladesmiths in Aotearoa, Prime (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Porou) was awarded the Best Art Piece for his nihoroa knife, made from scrap metal from the Wellington wharves and swamp kauri wood.
The award-winning nihoroa lies next to the scrap metal sourced from the Wellington wharves which made the blade.
Prime said it was an honour to be acknowledged for his mahi/work and to be able to share it with the world.
“I really love the process of this craft and being able to make everything from scratch, so to be recognised for something I made is a really cool feeling,” Prime said.
“I spend a lot of time tinkering away in my shed making these pieces and take a lot of pride in that everything I make is 100 per cent made by me.”
Prime said his interest in knife-making started as a young man, but it wasn’t until 2015 that he started taking the craft seriously.
The father of two now works full-time as a bladesmith out of his home workshop and has established himself as one of the most reputable and skilful knife makers in the country.
Prime is also part of Toi Ngāpuhi, a Māori agency which advocates for and supports Ngāpuhi, Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu and Te Taitokerau creatives.
He said his passion for his culture had heavily influenced his craft and it was his vision to eventually embody total “tool sovereignty”.
“I often reclaim materials and historic techniques when I’m making knives, from hand-forging blades through to sculpting and carving handles,” Prime said.
Prime Artisan Knives founder, A.J. Prime.
“As far as I know, I’m the only Māori artist in the country doing what I’m doing at the moment.
“I’m hoping to eventually make and use tools like toki for whakairo (carving) out of the resources we already have in the environment.”
Hundreds of knife enthusiasts attended the 2023 Auckland Bladeshow between September 23-24, keen to see custom-made knives and blades made by artisans from around the country.
The Prime Artisan Knives exhibit at this year's Auckland Bladeshow at the weekend.
While demand for this type of event was growing, event organiser Skye Eilers said Aotearoa was still a smaller player on the global scale of bladeshows.
“New Zealand is definitely a growing market, but there are still a lot of people who don’t know about us and when you look at shows overseas, they are massive,” Eilers said.
“One of the largest bladeshows is in Atlanta and one of the knifemakers there recently auctioned one of their knives for US$180k.
“The goal is definitely to grow the show here too and I’m hoping next year to make it more interactive, with knife displays and workshops.”
The 24-year-old is a stock removal knife maker (cuts the blade profile from a bar or sheet as opposed to forging it from steel) who specialises in making chef knives, but also creates the occasional utility or art knife.
Eilers said he’d been making knives since he was 14 and had recently transitioned from working in mental health to running his knife business, Skye Eilers Knives.
He said the methodical, hands-on craft of knifemaking had been a wonderful respite from the mental health space and was excited to now be doing it full-time.
“Knifemaking is endlessly interesting because it’s creative across so many disciplines including metal work, woodwork, blacksmithing, leather work, artistic embellishments, engraving and in-laying precious stones,” he said.
“There’s a lot of crossover in the industry and we see a lot of former jewellers now working as knifemakers.
“The appetite for specialised knives is growing and most of my stuff goes to home cooks, chefs or collectors who value the artistry and feel happy when using them.
“It’s all about creating memories and I liken it to having a nice car- if you have to cook, you might as well have a nice knife to work with.”
Other award categories at this year’s event included Best in Show, Best Newcomer, Best Art Piece, Best Historical Piece, Best Details, Best Damascus, Best Hunter, Best Utility, Best Chef Knife and Best of All The Rest.
