He Ara Whāriki

The graduating students and tutors of the Maunga Kura Toi weaving programme at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa share their raranga works with you. The programme encompasses all aspects of Māori weaving and maintains the practices and techniques of the ancestors.

Ngāti Te Whiti kaumātua Shane Cassidy gave a whakataukī to the women in our group: ‘He whāriki wairua, he whāriki kitenga, he whāriki rongoā. It means ‘A spiritual mat, a vision mat, a healing mat’ – this relates to the spiritual, visionary, and healing journey we have been on with our raranga.

Image: Hekengā, by Tracy Roberts (Pākehā, tangata Tiriti)