Te Ana o Hine: a wahine-led studio

Te Ana o Hine at Te Tuhi is a new wāhine-led carving space in Pakuranga. It supports a collective of wāhine carvers from across the motu and was created to provide a safe and supportive environment for women navigating barriers within the carving world.

In addition to supporting wāhine carvers in developing their individual practices, Te Ana o Hine seeks to inspire and nurture future generations of wāhine mau whao through wānanga and workshops.

We are a growing collective of carvers working in a range of materials including wood, stone, bone, uku and shell. The collective is wahine-led, creating our own tikanga framework around doing our mahi in a safe space. Together we whakamana one another’s practices and lean on each other for support.  

The artists in the collective include Arawhetu Berdinner, Christine Harvey, Chrissy Paul, Heidi Brickell, Kelly-Anne Ngatai, Hollie Tawhiao, Janine Tito, Jay Clothier-Simmonds, Keri-Mei Zagrobelna, Neke Moa, Ngaroma Riley, Paerau Corneal, Tessa Harris, Stevei Houkamau, Toimairangi Taiepa, Tui Hobson, Zena Elliott.

The rōpu comprises emerging to established artists, emphasising  tuakana-teina relationships where learning is reciprocated. Each artist in the collective has their own creative practice, and has been making kaupapa driven work centered on narratives from Te Ao Māori. 

• Speaker and artist fees
• Material costs for waka building
• Attendance costs for wānanga participants

Te Ana o Hine will host wananga for the carvers collective to come together from around the motu to learn and support each other, and give an opportunity for new carvers to join the collective. 

These gatherings will include public talks and skill-sharing, with a strong focus on wāhine participation—though all are welcome. They will also provide space for artists to reflect on what it means to be a wāhine carver, and how to maintain physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing in te ao hurihuri.

 The collective will be working on a large-scale collaborative carving project, a waka kōpapa which they aim to float on the Tāmaki river, not far from Te Tuhi.

While it is demonstrably true that Māori women have carved, and feature in our oral traditions and historical narratives, the practice of contemporary wāhine mau whao continues to be contentious and difficult, and wāhine carvers are not afforded the same opportunities to learn carving as men.

Carving together in a kaupapa-driven group of supportive makers, will enable our practices to evolve and culminate in creating dynamic work through a wāhine Māori lens. With the whao as our creative weapon of choice we can replace fear with bravery and feel the ripple effect of increased sharing of knowledge and engagement with our communities. Every wahine has a community that she is a part of whether that be whanau, hapu, iwi, marae, arts or educationally based.

The collective aims to evolve their personal practices to become skilled carvers and to inspire and nurture future generations of wahine ringa whao.

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