Celebrating 30 years of Toioho ki Āpiti: An exhibition that honours the legacy of Māori visual arts

Running from 3 June to 31 August the exhibition brings together Massey alumni artists spanning three decades, showcasing the depth, diversity and enduring impact of Toi Oho ki Apiti, as a significant contributor to education in Māori visual arts in Aotearoa. 

Hosted at Te Pūtahi-a-Toi School of Māori Studies, the exhibition is both a celebration and a reconnection - honouring the past, recognising the present, and looking to the future of Māori visual arts in Aotearoa and beyond. 

The exhibition opening on Wednesday 3 June will bring together alumni, artists, staff, students, community members and invited guests for an evening of celebration, followed by a one-day symposium on Thursday 4 June, where artists, graduates, current tauira and invited guests will return to share stories, insights and reflections on the programme’s influence across generations. 

Established in 1995, Toioho ki Āpiti, which translates as the Awakening of Creativity at Āpiti (the Manawatū Gorge),  has played a transformative role in shaping Māori creative practice, producing artists, educators, cultural leaders and practitioners whose influence has been felt across Aotearoa and internationally. 

Curator and writer Matariki Williams (has written about the programme in Frieze Magazine:

“He toi whakairo, he mana tangata.’ (Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity.) This whakatauki, this proverb, reflects what you, Toioho ki Apiti …have brought to the arts in New Zealand and the world. You are not a person; you are people. You are the people who your students brought with them when studying. You are the lecturers who fortified the mana of your students…you have taught them art within a history that is our own, with a language that is our own. You made these connections with them and fed them into an arts sector that is lucky to have them.”

Over the years Toioho graduates have contributed to transforming perceptions of contemporary Māori visual culture through innovative engagement with trans-customary practice (Toi whakawhiti). They were a major presence at the Toi Tū Toi Ora Visual Sovereignty exhibition in Auckland curated by alumni Nigel Borrel in 2020. MVA graduates Erena Baker, Dr Teri Te Tau and Bridget Reweti, along with Massey alumna Sarah Hudson, attracted international attention with Mataaho winning the Golden Lion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024, the first New Zealand artists to do so. This followed their winning of the Walters Prize in 2021 and the Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate in 2022.  

This anniversary exhibition offers a rare opportunity for the public to see works brought together from across generations of graduates, reflecting not only artistic practice, but whakapapa, identity, storytelling, innovation, and the ongoing evolution of Māori visual expression. 

Te Pūtahi-a-Toi School of Māori Studies Head of School Professor Hēmi Whaanga says the exhibition coincides with the lead-up to Matariki, a significant moment in the Māori calendar that signals remembrance, renewal, and the setting of intentions for the year ahead.

“This timing reinforces the exhibition’s purpose — bringing together generations of alumni to honour the legacy of Māori visual arts, acknowledge present achievements, and look toward future creative pathways,” Professor Whaanga says.

“The convergence of the exhibition with Matariki provides a meaningful opportunity for reflection and reconnection, enabling artists, tauira, and communities to engage in whakawhanaungatanga through shared histories, creative practice, and collective aspiration.”