Matt Wepa (rear) with his whanau.
Matt Wepa, carver, author and husband of Rotorua district councillor Janet Wepa, has died, aged 63, after a long battle with cancer.
Mr Wepa spent more than 25 years as a bone, greenstone and wood carver and sculptor, and until about 10 years ago worked at the New Zealand Maori
Arts and Crafts Centre.
"He was a storyteller and people used to ask about his bone carving and the meaning behind it. He was the first to produce little cards with information on them," said Mrs Wepa.
From that, just under 10 years ago, he self-published Symbols of the Maori World.
Originally aimed at tourists, more than 15,000 copies were sold. He also wrote Mysteries of the Maori World examining Maori origins and links with other cultures. Mr Wepa recently finished a third book, Greenstone, about the secrets of jade carving.
