Te Waka Toi Awards

Aroha Yates-Smith (Te Arawa, Tainui)

Professor Aroha Yates-Smith is a retired Dean of Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao, the School of Māori and Pacific Development at Waikato University. She was born in Rotorua in 1955 to Ngārua William Yates and Mōnehu Maraea (aka Maude) Yates, née Moeau. Aroha is the seventh of eight children. Her waka are Te Arawa, Tainui, Tākitimu, Horouta and Mātaatua. She is also a descendant of the Yates, Hodge, and Rigney families, whose ancestors migrated from Europe (Ireland, England, Germany, and Israel) to Aotearoa New Zealand.  

Aroha completed her BA and MA, then taught Māori and German at Tihipuke/Hillcrest High School in Hamilton after returning from an American Field Scholarship. Her career developed further at Waikato University. She completed her Doctoral Degree and was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal during her tenure.  

Aroha's interest in Māori female spirituality has found expression in her MA and PhD theses, as well as her latest book, He Wāhine Āriki nō Te Arawa, nō te Ao Māori. Noble women from Te Arawa and the World of the Māori.  

Her love of Māori language and tikanga has proved fertile ground for further research and publication. She resides in Kirikiriroa Hamilton and retains close ties to her many iwi. 

Ngahiwi Tomoana (Ngāti Kahungunu/Ngāti Hawea, Ngāti Hori, Samoan)

Ngahiwi Tomoana has been involved in hapū and iwi development most of his life. Chair of the Board of Ngāti Kahungunu for 26 years, he was also the Chair of Te Pou Tahua, an Iwi Chairs Group focused on International Trade and Economic Development. Ngahiwi’s vision has been to raise the visibility and importance of culture within commerce and conservation. Storytelling and the power of communication through art has been interwoven into his work nationally and internationally. 

Ngahiwi is a loving husband to Mere Tomoana, a father of six tamariki and grandfather to 21 mokopuna. It is with whānau in mind, that through all of these positions, responsibilities and vast experiences, he demonstrates his local, regional, national and international knowledge, passion, and commitment to all things Māori for the betterment of Māori katoa.

Haami Te Whaiti (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāi Tahu, Rangitāne)

Haami Te Whaiti was born in Martinborough, grew up on a farm near Mangakino and became a member of Ngā Tamatoa at Waikato University. For more than 40 years he has worked alongside kaumātua, kuia and whānau to support the kaupapa of Ngati Hinewaka. Haami’s work has helped to see the return of waahi tapu land at Mātakitaki-a-Kupe after 100 years of dispossession. He supported the reconstruction of Mākōtukutuku wharepuni at Te Papa and has curated exhibitions at Aratoi. More recently, he has been a negotiator settling iwi claims. 

Julie Paama-Pengelly (Ngāiterangi, Ngāi Tūwhiwhia, Ngāti Tauaiti, Ngāti Tapu)

Julie has been at the forefront of developments in Māori arts since the 1980s. She has pioneered the role of women as tā moko practitioners and the entitlement of women to wear particular types of moko. She was commissioned alongside New Zealand’s foremost tā moko artists to perform her practice publicly at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in 2004. As part of this commission, she tattooed full peha/puhoro on two women, Donna Leatherby and Jeanette McDonnell-Rata.

In 2010 Julie wrote the award-winning book, Māori Art & Design, the first comprehensive handbook on the subject. As chairperson of Te Tuhi Mareikura Trust she conceived Toi Kiri, the first annual World Indigenous Festival to connect mana whenua through the whakapapa of tā moko to the art practices of other indigenous peoples, alongside the presentation of contemporary art practices. Julie continues research and provide commentary on the changing political and cultural conditions of Māori art, artists and tā moko.

James Thornton Webster
(Tainui: Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Mahuta; Te Arawa: Ngati Pikiao; and Pākeha: Webster Clan)

James Thornton Webster is of Māori and European descent who has practised as an artist for more than 30 years. He's based in Kapanga, Coromandel where he is the owner of Tahaa, Tāmoko   Studio and Māori Arts. James is a multi-disciplinary artist, specialising in sculpture and working on carving (bone, stone and wood), painting, mixed-media creations and public artworks. 

Studying under Dr Paakaariki Harrison and Professor Kereti Rautangata, James graduated with a Bachelor of Arts ‘Te Maunga Kura Toi’ (with excellence) in Whakairo Rakau (Māori wood carving) from Te Wananga o Aotearoa in 2005. 

In addition to being a player and performer of taonga pūoro   (Māori musical instruments) for the past fourteen years he has been involved in the revival of karetao  (Māori puppetry)

Mataaho Collective

Erena Arapere-Baker (Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangātira)

Sarah Hudson (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Pūkeko)

Bridget Reweti (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi)

Terri Te Tau (Rangitāne, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa)

Mataaho Collective is four Māori women who create large-scale installations with a single authorship. Throughout Mataaho Collective’s practice, the pursuit of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) has unfolded in rich ways, not only through wānanga (gatherings) but also through the development of tuākana–teina (older sibling–younger sibling) relationships. 

In 2024, Mataaho Collective’s large-scale work, Takapau, won the Golden Lion at the 60th International Exhibition, Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, for Best Participant. An historic achievement, it is the first time a New Zealand artist has won a Golden Lion.

Purewa Hohi Hodge (Taranaki Iwi, Ngāti Tama-rongo, Muaūpoko)

Purewa Hohi Hodge has been weaving for nearly seven years. After learning the fundamental patterns and skill of whiri kete from her sister Niwa, Purewa then moved onto learning kete whakairo under the mentorship of weaver Fiona Jones. More recently she started her journey with whatu muka, taaniko and the creation of kakahu. Purewa is an artist who is largely self-taught and explores her craft through ‘DNA activation’ and connection with her whakapapa.

Rangipo Ihakara
(Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kuri, Akatokamanava: Mauke Island; Araura Enua: Aitutaki Island)

Rangipo is a multidisciplinary artist and emerging choreographer. She is the Director of Wairea company, an indigenous performing art and music company based in the Bay of Plenty. Rangipo delivers indigenous theatre performances, music and waiata Māori compositions, moving body art exhibitions, film and entertainment.  

She draws her creativity from reo me ngā tikanga (language and cultural values), mahi a te wairua (spirituality), te wā (time and space), te tuakiri o te tangata (the essence of a person or place), te hari, te aroha me te mamae (happiness, love and pain). 

Rangipo is experienced in performing and tutoring kapa haka alongside Cook Island culture and dance; she has performed with Mau company, under the mentorship of renowned choreographer Lemi Ponifasio. 

Jade Hohaia Te Uri Karaka (Raukawa, Waikato, Ngā Puhi, Ngāi Tahu)

Jade lives in Te Awamutu with her husband Zacchaeus and their two tamariki. She has spent many years living abroad in Colombia (South America), Brixton (South London) and Sydney (Australia). She has worked extensively in the areas of restorative justice, indigenous leadership, and communication. Jade has been honoured as a ‘Local Hero’ for this work in the New Zealander of the Year Awards. 

Formerly, Jade was the Communication Manager for Waikato-Tainui, the International Press Secretary for the Māori King (in Italy) and Editor of the award-winning magazine – Te Hookioi. Te Hookioi was runner-up for NZ Magazine of the Year in the Voyager Media Awards and won a bronze medal in the NZ Best Design awards. 

Transitioning from running her own communications company, Hohaia Innovations, Jade is now involved in the indigenous philanthropy and leadership sector. 

Jade has self-published two books and her third book Tāmihana: A Legacy of Servant Leadership in Aotearoa has now been picked up by Bateman Books. This five-year research and writing project highlights the role of the tumuakitanga – those assigned with looking after the wairua of the Māori King movement.

Rāhera Turner (Waikato/Tainui, Ngāti Mahuta, Te Patupō, Ngāti Tūwharetoa)

Rāhera is the NZSL Creative Consultant for Equal Voices Arts, an award-winning Deaf and hearing theatre company. She ensures that all creative uses of NZSL are Deaf-led. Rāhera provides Deaf Awareness training and NZSL consultation across Aotearoa New Zealand's arts sector. She serves on the advisory panels for Creative New Zealand and Arts Access Aotearoa, promoting access for Deaf, hard of hearing, and disabled communities. Passionate about advocacy, she also focuses on service co-designed for Turi (Deaf) Māori.

Mateheke Tweedie Waititi (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Rongowhakaata)

Mateheke Tweedie Waititi’s contributions to the arts in te reo Māori are remarkable. Her work includes: The translation and performance of Troilus and Cressida in te reo Māori; the release of Moana Reo Māori in 2017, coinciding with Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week); translating Don McGlashan’s classic waiata, ‘Bathe in the Water’ performed by Hollie Smith for the Waiata Anthems compilation; Māori language adaptations of Disney films such as The Lion King, Frozen, and Coco. Continuing her tireless efforts, this year she has been focused on Encanto Reo Māori and Moana 2. A distinctive feature of her work is the integration of iwi-specific reo for each Disney movie adaptation, using Tai Rāwhiti reo for Moana and Coco, and Kāi Tahu reo for Frozen. Her dedication has provided Māori whānau and tamariki with contemporary te reo Māori resources, allowing them to see and hear their language on the big screen. This work is an invaluable legacy for today and for the future of te reo Māori.

Ngahuia Te Awekōtuku (Te Arawa, Tūhoe, Waikato iwi)

Esteemed academic Ngahuia Te Awekotuku is known for her activism, research and extensive work in the field of Māori culture . She has written seminal texts on the tradition of tā moko. With an interest in gender, spirituality and ritual, Ngahuia has approached her subject matter as a curator, researcher and writer.

Ngahuia was curator of ethnology at  Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, Waikato Museum. She has held academic positions at three universities. She lectured in art history at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. She was Professor of Māori Studies at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington and Professor of Research and Development at Waikato University.

In 2010 she was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori culture.

Chris Henare (Ngāti Kahu/Te Whānau-ā-Apanui/Ngāti Porou)

Chris is committed to te reo Māori and tikanga. He weaves the values of language and protocol into every aspect of his work, from guiding kaihaka through a progression from kōhanga reo to senior groups, to nurturing the next generation’s voice as their children step up to narrate the whakairo of their iwi. 

Chris works with his wife Sandra, for 25 years they have worked extensively in many kura throughout the Far North. Their establishment of Muriwhenua kapa haka ensures te reo Māori has a place to thrive. They have played a major role in the development of kapa haka in all reanga  (generations) and have been strong advocates of kaupapa Māori.

Sandra Henare (Ngāti Kurī/Te Arawa)

Sandra is an influential leader in the Far North, where she and husband Chris Henare have worked together for more than 25 years in support of kaupapa Maori through creative endeavours. Their establishment of Muriwhenua kapa haka has been of enormous support and value to their community.

Working with kura throughout the region, Sandra and Chris have furthered their work’s impact by creating initiatives such as Kids Club Pioke, Muriwhenua sports teams, Te Hiku Maiangi festival and the Muriwhenua Daddy’s Club. They actively support members’ children in achieving their dreams, cultivating hope and purpose for the next generation. In a region that often faces adversity, Muriwhenua kapa haka has become a beacon of resilience and pride, countering negativity with a legacy that uplifts and inspires whānau.