Waiora

E ai ki a Areta Wilkinson kei te mauria e te mea he tikanga, he maumaharatanga, he whakapapa. He āhua rite te hei tiki koura a *Hei Ata Ahua*, 2017, ki tēnei hei tiki kahurangi a *Wairoa*, 2013 i puta mai ai i te ako a Wilkinson i ngā tikanga tuku iho, i te whakahirahira o aua tikanga hei tautoko i te whakawhanaungatanga o te tangata onāianei. Ko te wai me te ora. Ko tā te *Waiora*, me tōna tae kōhure, he whakaata i te āhuatanga o te wai hei taonga whakaora ā-kiko, ā-wairua, ā, he whakaatu i te whakahirahiratanga o te taiao hei whakapiki i te oranga o te tangata.

Objects carry meaning, memory and genealogical connection for artist Areta Wilkinson. This blue hei tiki named *Wairoa*, 2013 dervies from Wilkinson’s investigations into Māori adornment traditions and the role they play in activating relationships today. ‘Wai’ means water and ‘ora’ means life. Coloured blue, *Waiora* suggests the rejuvenating nature of water, both physically and metaphysically, and the importance of the natural environment to the health of humankind.

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