Celebrating Student Success in Toi Māori

NZQA – New Zealand Qualifications Authority
Mana Tohu Mātauranga o Aotearoa

Ringa Toi is a NZQA student exhibition which celebrates excellence in Māori art for Levels 1, 2 and 3. The selection process involves the students mahi toi being sent in digital form with a description of its meaning and what has inspired them. This year there were 150 artworks from rangatahi from around the country whose work was selected for this prestigious event

Tauranga Girls’ College is proud to announce that three of our Year 12 Contemporary Māori Art students had their work selected for the exhibition.  Congratulations to Pare Waaka,
Kiana Edwards and Promyse Kaponga.

Pare Waaka - Ngāti Ranginui
Te Whai A Kāwa

My Pou represents my chosen Māori myth.  I am exploring in my Year 12 folio this year, Te Whai A Kāwa. The tā moko design represents Kāwa the main character. I placed him at the top of my Pou to symbolise that Kāwa was an ariki from the heavens. The awa flowing out of Kāwa’s mouth symbolises his godly way of speaking, called parapara, and is the rivers name, Hāparapara. The cloud texture in the background represents how Kāwa descended down from the heavens. I used the color red on the arms and whakairo patterns to symbolise traditional carving and to fit the brief of ‘He Pou’. I put Maori designs inside of the whai to symbolise that it was a kaitiaki. The maunga at the bottom represents Ngapukeariki the mountain in my myth.  I was inspired by the work of Māori artists, Shane Cotton and Darcy Nicholas.

Kiana Edwards - Ngāti Ranginui
Te Ika A Māui
Acrylic on plywood
I am proud of my Māori ancestry and am inspired by our stories and the work of Māori Artists.  This artwork my idea of a Pou representing Māui fishing up the North Island, Te Ika a Māui. The five paddles represent Māui and his brothers that went with him to catch the fish, the waka symbolises their journey. I have included weaving texture to symbolise Māori traditions.

Promyse Kaponga - Ngati Raukawa
Ko Rona me te Marama
Acrylic on plywood
I am proud of my Māori culture and that I get to express that part of me in my artwork, and learn more about myself along the way. I am thankful for the help I get with this process and that I get to explore inspirational ideas in my artwork. My Pou mural is based on Rona and the Moon and I have explored ideas of representing this symbolically.