Wahine Whaikairo O Hokianga Exhibition

Our project is to establish a shared functional stone grinding wheel that will support a collective of Māori wahine artists working in stone carving.

Stone carving is an important part of Māori artistic practice, used to create taonga such as pounamu pendants, toki, traditional inspired forms, and contemporary sculptural pieces. However, access to proper grinding equipment is a major barrier for emerging and community-based artists. This project will fund the purchase and installation of a professional-grade grinding wheel setup that will allow our collective to safely shape and finish stone works for exhibition.

The outcome will be a collective exhibition of carved stone taonga created by Māori women from the Hokianga, celebrating skill development, cultural expression, and the continuation of traditional art forms in a contemporary setting. The Exhibition will be held at The Ngāpuhi Creatives space in Rawene and we are excited to show our mahi and hope to inspire future wahine to become carvers.