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Kaupapa MāoriKaupapa Māori

Nau mai haere mai ki Kaupapa Māori. Our mahi aims to celebrate and uplift Kaupapa Māori across Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Find out about the history of the land the Gallery sits on, discover Māori art and artists, meet our Māori Advisory Group and more.Nau mai haere mai ki Kaupapa Māori. Our mahi aims to celebrate and uplift Kaupapa Māori across Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Find out about the history of the land the Gallery sits on, discover Māori art and artists, meet our Māori Advisory Group and more.

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History of the land

Māori art and artists

Pātikitiki story

Māori commissions

Haerewa

Events

Hītori o te whenua

History of the land

Apihai Te Kawau was the paramount chief of the Auckland region during the early to mid-19th century. He was the grandson of the war chief Tuperiri, who invaded and conquered these lands around 1750.Ko Apihai Te Kawau te rangatira o Tāmaki Makaurau i te tīmatanga ki ngā tau waenga o te rautau 19. Ko ia te mokopuna o te rangatira pakanga, a Tuperiri, nānā i whakaeke i ēnei whenua i ngā tau 1750.

Discover full story

Portrait of Āpihai Te Kawau

Māori art

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Morning karakia, Te Kaha-nui-a-tiki marae, Te Kaha Sunday 3rd June 1973

Morning karakia, Te Kaha-nui-a-tiki marae, Te Kaha Sunday 3rd June 1973

2001

Artwork
Kotahi hā, kotahi te oranga
Charlotte Graham

Kotahi hā, kotahi te oranga

2015

Artwork
Mōrena

2017

Artwork
Tua Whitu

1999

Artwork
Te Hono (The Connections)

Te Hono (The Connections)

early 1980s

Artwork
Two Māori boys in an English field
Ayesha Green

Two Māori boys in an English field

2022

Artwork
Brave

2024

Artwork
Tāniko

Date unknown

Artwork

Pātikitiki

The pātikitiki or pātiki pattern represents the flounder, a flatfish found in the bays and estuaries of the Waitematā and Manukau harbours. It symbolises abundance and the Māori value of manaakitanga, the care and hospitality extended to visitors at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.E tohu ana te tauira pātikitiki, pātiki rānei, i te ika papatahi kei ngā whanga me ngā wahapū o te Waitematā, o Manukau. E tohu ana tēnei tauira i te makuru me te manaakitanga. Ko taua manaakitanga hoki ki ngā manuhiri o Toi o Tāmaki.

Māori commissions
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Three artworks were commissioned from Māori artists for permanent display in the Gallery when the building was redeveloped in 2011. These commissions form part of the fabric of the building, linking it to the outside world and acting as threshold markers inside.

Haerewa

Meet the Gallery's Māori Advisory Group, Haerewa. Established in 1994, Haerewa is a voice for Māori artists and Māori art.

Haerewa

Events

Lindauer’s legacy: 100 years on | Kotahi rau tau

Lindauer’s legacy: 100 years on | Kotahi rau tau

Talks

13 Jun 2026 - 8 Aug 2026

Times vary

Free and Members-only events

Matariki ahunga nui 2026

Matariki ahunga nui 2026

Festival
Mātariki

10 Jul 2026

10am to 5pm

Free