New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute facts for kids
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| Other name | Te Puia |
|---|---|
| Motto | Ngā Kete Tuku Iho |
| Motto in English | The heirloom baskets (of knowledge) |
| Founder(s) | Tā Āpirana Ngata (legislator) Hōne Taiapa (carver) Emily Schuster (weaver) |
| Established | 1926, reestablished 1963 |
| Focus | Revival and perpetuation of tradiitional Māori Arts |
| Formerly called | Rotorua Māori Arts and Crafts Institute |
| Location | , , |
| Address | Hemo Rd, Tihiotonga 3010 |
The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) is a special school in Rotorua, New Zealand. It teaches traditional Māori art forms. Think of it as a national school for Māori arts.
NZMACI opened in 1963. It continued the work of an older school for woodcarving. The first school started in 1926. It was set up by Sir Āpirana Ngata. He wanted to make sure traditional Māori arts would not be lost.
The school is located in Whakarewarewa. This area is well-known for Māori arts and crafts. Being near the Rotorua tourist market helps the Institute. It has been able to fund itself for most of its history. The school is part of Te Puia, a popular tourist attraction. Tours have been happening in the Whakarewarewa Valley since the mid-1800s.
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History of the Institute
The New Zealand School of Māori Arts and Crafts (Te Ao Marama) began in 1926. It was founded by Āpirana Ngata. He was a Member of Parliament for the Eastern Māori area. This area included Rotorua. The school focused on teaching traditional Māori arts.
Ngata believed art was key to bringing Māori culture back to life. He set rules for the training. This meant certain patterns were taught, and others were not. The school was located near the geysers at Whakarewarewa. This is just outside Rotorua. The first school closed because of World War II.
The Rotorua Maori Arts and Crafts Institute Act 1963 officially started the school. Later, in 1967, it became a national institute. This happened with the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute Amendment Act. The spelling of Maori also changed to Māori. This was to make the Māori language easier to pronounce.
Since the 1980s and 1990s, Māori traditions have become more important. This is called the Māori Renaissance. It has changed how contemporary art is seen in New Zealand. The Institute shows its work at events like the Māori Art Market. But its teaching still focuses on traditional Māori art.
You can visit the Institute through Te Puia. This is a major tourist spot in Rotorua, Aotearoa.
What the Institute Does
Wood Carving
Whakairo, or carving, is a very important Māori art form. Some people even call it the written language of the Māori.
The National Wood Carving school is called Te Wānanga Whakairo Rākau o Aotearoa. It opened in 1967. Since then, it has helped restore or build over 40 whare whakairo (Māori meeting houses) across New Zealand. The first head of the Carving school was Hone Taiapa. He was a famous master carver.
Jade, Bone & Stone Carving
For a long time, carving jade, bone, and stone was part of the main carving school. These arts are used for traditional decorations and tools. Later, a special school was created for them. It was first led by artist Lewis Tamihana Gardiner. This school first focused on pounamu (greenstone).
The new national school for Jade, Bone & Stone Carving is named Te Takapū o Rotowhio. This name was given by local leaders. Today, Stacy Gordine leads the school. He is a master carver.
Weaving
Traditional Māori textiles and weaving are also taught at the Institute. This art form is called raranga in Māori.
The weaving school is named Te Whare Raranga. It was started in 1967 by Emily Schuster. She was the head of the school. In 1988, the school was renamed Te Rito. Emily Schuster led the school until the mid-1990s. She continued as a Cultural Advisor until she passed away in 1997.
Her daughters, Dawn Smith and Edna Pahewa, took over after her. Edna Pahewa held the role for 18 years. The current head is master weaver Meleta Bennett. She learned from Edna Pahewa.
The creation of these schools helped bring back whakairo (carving) and raranga (weaving). Many students from these schools played a big part in the Māori renaissance.
Major Works and Projects
Marae Restoration and Building
NZMACI has helped build or restore over 40 marae (Māori meeting grounds). Many more have been worked on by graduates of the Institute. The first students worked on art for local businesses. Then they moved on to restoring carvings on important Māori churches and meeting houses.
Te Matatini Stage
The Institute carved the amazing Māhau stage. This stage is used for Te Matatini, the world's largest Māori cultural festival. It is huge, made from over 26 tonnes of native wood. It also has 5 tonnes of steel and 36 tonnes of concrete. It is the biggest Māori carved structure ever, at 30 meters wide and over 13 meters high.
More than 20 staff and students from NZMACI worked over 15,000 hours to finish it. The symbols on the stage tell stories about performing arts in Aotearoa. Te Māhau was first used in 2012.
Pou Maumahara
The Pou Maumahara is a special carving in Belgium. It honors soldiers who died in war. It is located at Passchendaele Memorial Park in Zonnebeke. This carving is 8 meters tall and weighs 17 tonnes. It was carved from a large kauri log at NZMACI.
The design was created by Clive Fugill. It was carved by staff and students of Te Wānanga Whakairo o Aotearoa. The project took more than four years. The pou (carved pole) was revealed on ANZAC Day in 2019.
Te Ahi Tūpua
Te Ahi Tūpua is a massive sculpture. It was designed by Stacy Gordine. This sculpture uses traditional Māori art to tell a story. It tells the story of Ngātoro-i-rangi. He was an ancestor who guided the Te Arawa canoe to Aotearoa. He is linked to the hot springs and geysers in the area.
Te Ahi Tūpua stands 12 meters high. It is the tallest sculpture of its kind. It is also the first to be made using 3D printed parts.
This sculpture was part of a big project. It helped improve the Hemo Gorge roundabout near the Institute. The project was funded by NZTA and the Rotorua District Council.
Te Ahi Tūpua, along with Pōhutu Geyser and the local lakes, is now a symbol for the city of Rotorua.
Artists and Graduates
Students at NZMACI are called reanga. These are groups of 1-4 students chosen from many applicants. They learn Māori Arts and Crafts with a scholarship. This scholarship is usually paid for by tourism. The goal of the Institute is to help Māori culture grow in communities. So, applicants are expected to be Māori who practice traditional arts. The best applicants often have support from their iwi (tribe). Graduates are expected to serve their tribes and communities.
Alumni
Here are some of the graduates from the Institute:
- Pine Taiapa (1926 institute) Ngāti Porou
- Hōne Te Kāuru Taiapa (1926 institute) Ngāti Porou, younger brother of Pine, first master carver of the 1967 revived school.
- Piri Poutapu (1926 institute, 1929 intake) Tainui, a carver of canoes and royal carver for the Kingitanga (Māori King Movement).
- Clive Fugill (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, 1st intake) Ngāti Ranginui
- James Rickard (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, 1st intake) Tainui, a master carver, and former head of the carving school.
- Dr Lyonel Grant (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, 6th intake) Te Arawa
- Riki Manuel (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, 8th intake)
- Albert Te Pou (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, 8th intake) Tūhoe current head of the carving school.
- Mauri Ora Kingi (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, 8th intake) Te Arawa, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Raukawa
- Fayne Robinson (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, 13th intake) Kāi Tahu, a well-known artist from the South Island.
- Roi Toia (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, 14th intake)
- Gordon Toi (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, Nth intake) Ngāpuhi, a famous master of tā moko (Māori tattoo).
- Arekatera Katz Maihi (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, 21st intake) Ngāti Whātua, also a musician and tā moko artist.
- Colin Tihi (Wānanga Whakairo Rākau, 19th intake; Takapū 6th intake) Ngāti Tarawhai, a carver and painter. He is the only person to graduate from both carving schools.
Tumu (School Heads)
Each school at the Institute is led by an expert in their art form. These leaders are called Tumu. They teach groups of 1-4 students. Here are some of the Tumu:
Tumu, Te Wānanga Whakairo o Aotearoa (Carving School)
- (1967 - 1979) Hone Taiapa
- (1983 - 1995) Clive Fugill, Ngāti Ranginui, (still holds the title of Tumu Whakarae from 1995)
- (2019 - 2023) Albert Te Pou, Ngāi Tūhoe
Tumu, Te Takapū o Rotowhio (Jade, Bone & Stone Carving School)
- (2009 - 2013) Lewis Tamihana Gardiner, Ngāti Pikiao, Kāi Tahu
- (2013 - present) Stacy Gordine Ngāti Porou
Tumu, Te Rito o Rotowhio (Weaving School)
- (1969 - 1997) Emily Schuster
- (1997 -2019) Edna Pahewa
- (2020-present) Meleta Bennett
How the Institute is Run
In the past, the Minister of Tourism chose people for the NZMACI board. This board helps run the Institute.
Now, things have changed because of agreements between the New Zealand government and local Māori tribes. These agreements are part of the Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) settlements. The NZMACI Vesting Act (2020) means that the local tribes, Tuhourangi, Ngāti Wāhiao, and Ngāti Whakaue, are now recognized as the owners of Te Puia and its related assets. They also have official representatives on the board. This means local Māori tribes have a say in how the Institute is run.
See also
- Pounamu
- Whakairo
- Māori traditional textiles
- Tāniko
