We unveiled our Unity Project carving this afternoon, wahoo! The waharoa is situated at the Te Awanui a Rua Trust headquarters in Taumarunui.
A big thank you to our rangatahi carvers—Jahdah, Hone, and Rangi—it was so much fun carving this project with you all! Also, a mighty thanks to Anahera, Whaea Jackie, and Matua Hokio for your massive support.
This unique commission was inspired by New Zealand's famous 1935 Waitangi Crown (5 shillings), widely regarded as one of the country's most iconic and collectible coins.
When I was first commissioned to carve it, my first thought was, "How am I going to do that?" Months later, after countless hours of carving and refining every detail, my plan came together.
Medium: Hand-carved from a single piece of native Tōtara, mounted on a steel rod with a native black Maire wooden base.
Dimensions: 650 mm diameter, 100 mm depth
I carved these three Macrocarpa beams during lockdown, so I had plenty of time to do it thoroughly! They came out really well. I carved the TAUMARUNUI lettering deeply into the timber after working the whole surface in a sort of scalloped, mamaku-inspired pattern. It was great to finally see all three beams up in place — a proud moment!
I carved this tekoteko depicting Tāne-nui-a-Rangi, the bringer of knowledge who ascended to the heavens. into a traditional tokotoko (walking stick).
Flowing down the rest of the stick is a classic Raperape pattern featuring 12 double spirals, symbolising the 12 levels of the heavens (Ngā Rangi Tūhāhā). It was quite a technical feat to pull off, but the Tōtara wood carved beautifully, and I'm really happy with how the final piece turned out.
Extreme detail and precision were required, the delicate spiral work on the arms measures approximately 10 mm in diameter, and the detailed eyes with pupils measure only 3 mm across!
Medium: Deer antler, native Mataī wood, pāua shell inlays
Dimensions: 72 mm in length
Super proud today unveiling the Pātaka over at Ngā Hau e Whā Māra Kai, Taumarunui.
A massive thanks to the kaumātua and everyone who attended the dawn ceremony, as well as Pip, Pal, and the rest of the Ngā Hau e Whā team! Also, a huge thank you to Creative NZ for the funding.
This Pātaka is a fully functional food storage house and heritage seed bank for the gardens—tūturu Māori style. Such a privilege to carve the front of it!
It was an honour to work alongside Karen Ngatai and the Taumarunui Revitalisation Taskforce to create a trail of eleven native bird carvings through the historic Manson Gardens in the heart of Taumarunui.
With the support of eleven generous local sponsors, each bird found a permanent home within the gardens. Carved from a variety of beautiful native timbers, the project became a true labour of love that evolved over several years, with plenty of challenges and memorable moments along the way.
Each sculpture was carefully positioned to complement the character of the gardens, creating a trail that encourages visitors to slow down, explore, and discover some of New Zealand's remarkable native birdlife. Subtle lighting was later added so the carvings could continue to be enjoyed after dark.
Creating this project for my hometown has been one of the greatest privileges of my artistic journey. Seeing families, visitors and locals stop to admire the birds, take photographs and enjoy the gardens has made every hour worthwhile.
Looking back, this project reminded me that public art has the power to become part of a community's story.
This was a really special experience. After karakia and a blessing from the local kaumātua, we milled this beautiful Tōtara log on site, just up the road from Taumarunui.
The Alaskan mill worked a treat, and the saw cut through the Tōtara like butter. This was the beginning of the carved Pātaka frontage I had designed, I can’t wait to get some of these beautiful slabs back into my shed and start carving. Wahoo!
A special thanks to Pal Toroa from Ngā Hau e Whā Māra Kai, pictured on the left, who made it all happen.
Creation of kites and kite flying was a great old-time Māori practice. Kites came in many types of design and were used for all sorts of purposes from general fun and games to more serious uses such as spiritual ceremonies amongst tohunga (priests).
My own fascination with flight along with my passion towards whakairo led me to carve this particular ‘manu pākau’ representing Rongo, atua of peaceful pursuits.
I decorated the aerofoil wing in a stepped on/off ‘poutama’ design representing the steps/levels towards Ranginui (Sky-Father), within these steps are painted kōwhaiwhai patterns representing the winds. The word ‘Manu’ means both bird and kite. Manu are seen as intermediaries between spiritual and physical realms.
Medium: Tōtara and Mataī wood, pāua inlays, hemp, feathers and paint
Dimensions: 1.2 metre wingspan
In September 2017, I was commissioned by local legend Richard Steele to create a 4.5-metre Ruru carving for his family property at Kaitieke, just south of Taumarunui.
Carved from a huge, rugged Rimu log, this is the largest commissioned carving I have undertaken to date. Working on a log of this size means thinking beyond carving alone.
I had to build a large tripod with a block and chain system, allowing me to carefully rotate the heavy timber as the sculpture gradually took shape. There was plenty of problem-solving along the way with this piece, and it really brought out the chainsaw carver in me!
The finished piece features a Ruru perched above a sweeping koru, a design holding deep personal meaning for Richard and his family, standing tall amidst the native landscape of Kaitieke.
The unveiling was really cool. Family, friends, locals and visitors gathered around the carving, and seeing everyone standing beneath it was an incredible moment. Watching Richard look up at the finished Ruru with such pride made every hour of work worthwhile.
This commission has given me the confidence to keep saying yes to bigger ideas!
This entranceway is a metaphor for the transformation of the children that pass through the school.
On the left side, we have the nesting Tūī, to represent the children that first enter the school. They are being nurtured, educated and looked after all snug in their nest.
On the right side, we have the mighty Kāhu, positioned in an energetic posture about to leap up off into the sunset, ready for lift-off! Representing the stronger educated more confident children as they leave the school.
Medium: Deer antler, pāua shell inlays
Dimensions: 72 mm in length
There are many fascinating personifications of knowledge through Māori perspective. This tekoteko is a representation of Rua te Ruru, wisdom of the owl.
I recently saw some artwork where an artist had carved into pencil lead, it really caught my attention. Pencils are a fundamental tool in my work, especially my trusty Staedtler 3B pencils!
This particular pencil was due for retirement after being used to mark out the lines and embellishments for several tekoteko, but after acquiring a set of jeweller’s magnifying glasses, I decided to give it a new life and carve a tiny tekoteko directly into the graphite.
The photograph makes him look mighty, even though he’s only about a centimetre tall! The hardest part was carving out his back between his arms to get his belly to protrude. My Dremel bit only just fitted in there, a fraction of a millimetre left or right would have ripped his arm off. I left that part til last almost shaking and starting to sweat, the heat was on! One tiny slip and all that work would have been gone. But I did it. Challenge accomplished!
He now lives in my China cabinet in safety behind lots of glass.
This tekoteko represents Rua-te-horahora and the spreading and dissemination of knowledge. In his left hand, the form represents the spiritual connection of knowledge between ourselves and the divine.
In his right hand, Rua holds a wahaika — a weapon — symbolising the protection of knowledge and the responsibility that comes with it.
I carved this tekoteko for a teacher to have in her classroom, where it could stand among the children as a symbol of learning, knowledge and protection. I really liked the idea that the carving itself could become part of their learning environment.
Medium: Acrylic on canvas, with a carved native Tōtara frame
Dimensions: 1m x 1m
