Judges

Renata Te Wiata

Renata Te Wiata (Waikato, Ngaati Mahuta. Te Arawa, Ngaati Kea, Ngaati Tuaraa) is a 4th generation carver, trained under the watchful eye of his late father, Tohunga Whaikairo, Inia Te Wiata II, since the age of 12.

Renata spent his formative years learning skills on several large-scale projects including Poukapua, Te Manukanuka o Hoturoa (Auckland Airport Marae) And Puukawa Marae (Tuwharetoa). Renata is also experienced in other mediums including stone, bone, Waituhi and Digital arts.

Renata is the current Head Carver for Waikato Tainui, and along with his team, he has overseen multiple commercial builds both internally and externally, working with ACC to build their new HQ in Hamilton central; alongside Warren and Mahoney to complete Te Ariki Pullman Hotel (Auckland Airport) and recently the completion of “The Paa” at the University of Waikato in 2023

“It is important to me that Iwi and hapu and whaanau narratives are not only told correctly but treated with the mana that they deserve. We are fortunate that Māori art can help us achieve this in such unique ways - ways that only us as Māori know how”

John Walsh

Over the course of his career, John Walsh (Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Irish) has built a reputation as one of the leading contemporary painters in Aotearoa. Walsh is known for his sublime, ethereal landscapes with dense narratives, which often depict scenes or characters from myths and legends of East Coast Māori.

Born in Tolaga Bay in New Zealand’s North Island, John Walsh spent much of his early days in the Gisborne region before travelling to Christchurch where he attended Ilam School of Fine Arts at Canterbury University between 1973 and 1974.  He later returned to the East Coast where he specialised in portraiture. 

John’s exhibition at The New Zealand Portrait Gallery, A Portrait of Ūawa Tolaga Bay He Whakaahua o Ūawa in 2018 remains one of the Gallery’s most popular shows. His works are included in numerous collections nationally and internationally, including Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, and the Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Noumea.

Areta Wilkinson

Dr Areta Wilkinson (Kāi Tahu) is a contemporary artist whose creative practice explores visual art as a form of knowledge and practice with Māori philosophies–especially whakapapa and a worldview informed by Kāi Tahu perspectives. Areta is inspired by place and sees her work as a continuous exploration of the narratives that have shaped both her identity and her practice.

Alongside her creative works, Areta has a strong collaborative ethos and supports a community of artists in her orbit. She has worked collectively with artist groups like Paemanu: Ngāi Tahu Contemporary Visual Arts and Oxford Gallery toi o Waimakariri. She is a life member of the Māori Women's Welfare League Rāpaki Branch as modelled by her grandmother and aunties.

Areta currently lives and works in Oxford near the foothills of the Southern Alps. Her work is well represented in New Zealand collections. In 2022, she became an Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate receiving the Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Award.