Paerau Corneal

Name
Paerau Corneal
Iwi/Ethnicity
Ngāti Tūwharetoa/Māori
Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi/Māori
Date of birth
1961
Place of birth
Rotorua/Bay of Plenty (region)/New Zealand
Gender
Female
Biography
Paerau Corneal was born in Rotorua in 1961. She studied at Waiariki Polytechnic, receiving a Diploma of Craft Design Māori in 1987. In 2007, Corneal graduated from Massey University with a Masters in Māori Visual Arts. She is a foundation member of Ngā Kaihanga Uku (a collective of Maori clay workers), a member of Te Rōpū o Ngā Wāhine Kai Whakairo (a collective of Māori women carvers), and a member of Kauae (a collective of Māori women artists).

Working in clay, Corneal draws on her Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Te Ātihaunui-a-Paparangi ties to address the principle of mana wāhine (female authority). Her work affirms the intelligence and strength of Māori women, as it is expressed in customary narratives and contemporary life.