TITLE: Hīkoi Tūrangawaewae Series 1. Ahipara
MATERIAL: Stretched canvas Tondo 
SIZE: 30cm

Tāwera Tahuri
Te Rarawa, Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi, Whakatōhea, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Uenuku, Tūwharetoa

With aroha and in acknowledgement of my Te Rarawa whakapapa and Nanny, Katie Ngāronoa Herewini nee Arano. A staunch Rātana Mōrehū, Nanny unfortunately left her tūrangawaewae at a young age and married my grandfather Te Hore Herewini of the Wanganui area after an arranged marriage by T W Rātana. She is my namesake and had she survived, would have brought me up from birth. I often wonder how our lives may have been had this happened. Although she never returned to Ahipara, as a whānau, we will take her kawe mate home and reconnect with Te Kohanga eventually.

Practicing Visual & Performing Artist. Teacher. senior Advisor Indigenous exchange Creative NZ.

BA. Dip Teaching. MMVA. DIP Secondary Teaching. PhD Candidate Indigenous studies

Tāwera Tahuri is a mixed media artist covering a wide range of mediums and techniques. Influenced by the work of artists such as Basquiat, Klee, Picasso, Kura Te Waru Rewiri and Emere Karaka, she has produced a prolific amount of work throughout her artistic career. A mother of six children grandmother of five is actively involved in her community as an artist, activist, teacher, and performer. Her involvement as an exhibiting artist in the Florence Biennale, Italy has opened doors for Tāwera who now has an active exhibition calendar both nationally and internationally. In 2010 and 2012 Tāwera, with her husband Henare also a visual and performing artist completed x2 6-week residencies at Evergreen State University in Olympia Washington State USA. Tāwera is passionate about freshwater ways and is actively involved in the care and maintenance of sacred waterways and takes her role as a 'kaitiaki' or guardian seriously. As a board member for The Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Tāwera is committed to indigenous issues across the world and proudly represents her peoples alongside her wider indigenous family.