Artists, alumni and students created a large mural at Massey’s Turitea campus to celebrate 30 years of Te Pūtahi-a-Toi School of Māori Knowledge.
The programme which has nurtured some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most celebrated Māori visual artists, Toioho ki Āpiti – Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts marked its 30th anniversary last week.
The programme was established at Te Pūtahi-a-Toi School of Māori Knowledge at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University in the mid-1990s by renowned artist and educator Professor Robert Jahnke, with the goal of creating a space in the tertiary sector where Māori creative expression could thrive on its own terms.
“It was important that our point of difference reflected a Māori world view, grounded in kaupapa Māori and te reo Māori together with an awareness of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its implication for artistic sovereignty,” Professor Jahnke says.
Toioho ki Āpiti is now part of a national ecosystem of Māori art programmes, and its longevity and innovation have helped establish a generation of artists fluent in both Māori and global vocabularies.
“The visual articulation of mātauranga Māori doesn’t have to be coded in a customary visual vocabulary. You don’t have to use a meeting house to express being Māori. It can be modern, contemporary figuration related to the experiences of an urban Māori.”
Head of Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, Professor Hēmi Whaanga says the Toioho ki Āpiti – Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts programme continues to stand as a pou for Indigenous-led arts education in Aotearoa and beyond.
“It's a time to celebrate the visionaries as well as the graduates, the kaiako and the whānau who have sustained this kaupapa over its three decades.”
Lecturer and graduate Erena Baker describes the anniversary as a chance to honour the continuity of the kaupapa and the generations of Māori artists who have carried it. She says the 30-year mark reflects three decades of Māori-led art education, grounded in wānanga, resistance and creative autonomy.
“It’s about continuity of kaupapa and generations of Māori artists carrying it forward.”
Artist and lecturer Karangawai Marsh says the programme’s strength has always been in its commitment to identity, place and whakapapa.
“Toioho ki Āpiti’s foundation centred on te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and a deep engagement with narrative, which ensures students develop a strong sense of who they are and where they stand.”
To mark the 30-year anniversary of Te Pūtahi-a-Toi School of Māori Knowledge artists, alumni and current students gathered to paint a large-scale mural at the concourse on Massey’s Turitea campus.
The mural, which was designed by staff and students to honour the programme’s legacy, features a repeated X motif referencing tukutuku cross-stitch, the marks made by many Māori when signing Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and Massey University’s aspiration to be a Treaty-led institution. Framed by the Ruahine and Tararua ranges and rendered in earth-based and sunrise-to-sunset tones, the mural positions Toioho ki Āpiti within its local landscape while celebrating three decades of creativity, collaboration and mātauranga Māori.
Notable graduates of Toioho ki Āpiti - Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts
Today, alumni of Toioho ki Āpiti Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts feature prominently in national exhibitions, museum leadership, iwi-based arts development and international art festivals. These include:
Aotearoa New Zealand's only university based 4-year degree in Māori Visual Arts.
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