Harakeke VII Te-Waiata o te 'Harakeke/Korari, Matauri Bay'

Ki ahau nei ko te raranga he wāhanga nō ngā tauira tauoranga. I te hāngai inanahi, kei te hāngai i tēnei rā; he honotanga ki ngā tīpuna, ka mutu nā rātou e pēnei ai te tino pai o tōku tauoranga.

– Toi Te Rito Maihi, 1994

He mātanga kairaranga a Toi Te Rito Maihi, ā, kua whakapau kaha ia ki te ako i ngā tauira, i ngā tikanga, i te mātauranga o te mahi raranga. Ehara i te mea kua whakawhāitihia ōna akoranga raranga ki ngā toi weu anake. Ko te taitara o tēnei peita muramura ko *Harakeke VII Te-Waiata o te ‘Harakeke/Korari Matauri Bay’*; ko tāna he whakaatu i ōna pūkenga ki te peita, ki te raweke i te tae me te hoahoa āhuahanga. Kei te kitea tōna manawanui ki ngā tikanga, me te mahi toi o te raranga e whakaatu ai i ngā rā o mua, i ngā rā o te wāheke.

I see weaving as one facet in the patterns of life. They are as relevant to today’s world as yesterday’s. They are a link with the tīpuna (ancestors) and after all it’s to them I owe the richness of my life.

– Toi Te Rito Maihi, 1994

Master weaver Toi Te Rito Maihi has devoted her career to exploring the patterns, techniques and knowledge found in mahi raranga – Māori weaving. However, the artist’s weaving explorations have not been limited to fibre arts. The title of this bold painting – *Harakeke VII Te-Waiata o te ‘Harakeke/Korari Matauri Bay’* – translates as ‘the song of the harakeke plant’ and shows her skill in paint and her command of colour and geometric design. It recalls a love of the processes and the practice of weaving where the patterns reflect both the past and the present. (Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art, 2020)

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