Ngaronoa Renata | Ngāpuhi nui tonu, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa

I tipu te aroha i roto i a au mō te toikupu mai au e pūhou ana. I taku utu tuatahi i a au e rangatahi ana, i hoko au i tētahi kape o Roget’s Thesaurus ki te āwhina i taku tito toikupu. Mai tēnā ka tipu te whakamatemate ki roto i a au mō ngā reo tāukiuki, pēnei i te reo Māori, Sanskrit, Hīperu me te reo Ārapi. I te tau 1989, i hūnuku mātou ko tōku punua whānau ki Waikato mai i Kaeo, i Te Tai Tokerau. Tōku whenua rangatira.

I uru atu au ki te wānanga, He Tuatoatanga, me tētahi mystery school tauiwi. (he kaupapa pīnakitanga), kei Waikato ēnei kura. I reira, ka para au i te huarahi ki te wānanga i ngā reo tāukiuki me te māramatanga pūtaiao. E mahara ana au ki tōku pāpā e whaikōrero ana i te marae, i roto i te reo.  I tangi pai au i te rongohanga i te tangi o te reo, titi tonu ki te ngākau.

I ahu mai a Estrella i ngā akoranga tohunga.

Ka whakanui au i tōku whakapapa Ngāpuhi mai i a Tuhikura me tōku whakapapa  Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa mai i a Turikatuku.

From an early age, I developed a love of poetry and words. When I received my first pay as a teenager, I bought a copy of Roget’s Thesaurus to assist my poetic writings. That led to a curiosity in ancient languages such as Māori, Sanskrit, Hebrew and Arabic. In 1989, our little whānau moved to the Waikato from Kaeo, Northland, my Ngāpuhi ancestral home.

I joined the Māori Spiritual Warrior School and a Western mystery school (Foundation for Higher Learning), which are both based in the Waikato. There, I took a journey of in-depth study of ancient sacred languages and wisdom science. I remember clearly when my father spoke on our marae in our reo (language). I wept when hearing the sound of our reo – it touched me profoundly.

I acknowledge my Ngāpuhi lineage through Tuhikura and Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa through Turikatuku.

Photo credit: Geraldine 

Josh Clark

He kaiwaiata, he kaipiana, he kaitito, he kaiwhakatairanga, he kaiwhakarite kaupapa hoki a Josh Clark nō Tāmaki Makaurau. I āna mahi, kua tū ia hei kaitohu waiata, kaiwhakatangi hoki i ētahi whakaari rongonui o Aotearoa, pēnei i Billy Elliot, CATS, me Once: The Musical. Kua tito ia i ētahi whakaritenga puoro mā te Auckland Philharmonia me ētahi whakaritenga waiata mō te Big Sing mā ngā kura maha puta noa i Aotearoa, pēnei i te rōpū Fortissimo o Dilworth.

Ko tēnei te tau tuatoru o tana mahi ngātahi me Taane Mete i te Toi o Tāmaki. Inā tata nei hūnuku ai a Josh ki Rānana me tana hoa rangatira a Emily ki te whai i tētahi ara mahi i te ao whakahaere toi me te ao whakaari. I tēnei wā, kei te mahi ia mō te London Philharmonic Orchestra i te whakatairanga me te tātari raraunga.

Josh Clark is a singer, pianist, composer, marketer and event producer from Tāmaki Makaurau. Throughout his career, he has played and musically directed several major professional New Zealand theatre productions, including Billy Elliot, CATS and Once: The Musical. He has also written various arrangements for the Auckland Philharmonia and various schools throughout New Zealand for the Big Sing, including Dilworth’s Fortissimo.

This is his third year collaborating with Taane Mete at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Josh recently moved to London with his partner Emily to pursue a career in arts administration and performing arts. He currently works for the London Philharmonic Orchestra in marketing and data analysis.

Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist 

Lorelle McNaughton

He kaipiana a Lorelle McNaughton, ā, he uri Hainamana, Kotimana, Māori anō nō Ngāti Māhanga Hourua, Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāti Hine ki Waikato, Ngāti Ruahine, Ngā Rauru me Ngāti Apa. Kua whakawhiwhia ia ki te Tohu Paetahi Puoro mai i Waipapa Taumata Rau me te Tohu Paerua Puoro hōnore taumata tuatahi mai i te Sydney Conservatorium. Kua whakawhiwhi anō ia ki ētahi Tohu Paerunga e aro ana ki te puoro Paniora mai i te Liceu Conservatory me te Academia Marshall ki Barcelona, Spain.

Kua tū a Lorelle ki ngā atamira puta noa i te ao, pēnei i te whakakitenga Oceania (2018) i te Royal Academy of Arts ki Rānana hei kaiwhakatangi motuhake. I reira i whakatangihia ngā waiata a ngā kaitito o Aotearoa ki runga i te piana a Michael Parekōwhai He Kōrero Pūrākau mō te Awanui o Te Motu: Story of a New Zealand river (2011).

He whānui ngā momo waiata kua whakatangihia e Lorelle, ā, kua tino whakanuia ia mō tāna whakatangi auaha i ngā waiata piana Paniora. Kua tonoa hoki ia kia tuku kauhau ki ētahi o ngā wānanga puoro matua o Ahitereiria me Aotearoa.

Whai muri tata ki te tekau tau ia e noho ana ki tāwāhi, kua hoki mai a Lorelle ki Aotearoa, ā, ki konei ia e anga whakamua ana hei kaipiana takitahi, mahi tahi hoki. I tēnei wā, he kaiwhakahaere toi ia ki Puoro Taiwhanga Aotearoa.

Lorelle is a New Zealand pianist of Māori, Chinese and Scottish descent whose whakapapa includes Ngāti Māhanga Hourua, Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāti Hine ki Waikato, Ngāti Ruahine, Ngā Rauru and Ngāti Apa. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Auckland and a Master of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium with first class honours, and further postgraduate degrees specialising in Spanish music from the Liceu Conservatory and Academia Marshall in Barcelona, Spain.

Lorelle has performed across the globe, including as a special guest at the Oceania exhibition (2018) at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where she performed music by New Zealand composers on Michael Parekōwhai’s piano He Kōrero Pūrākau mo te Awanui o Te Motu: Story of a New Zealand river, 2011.

Having played a wide range of repertoire throughout her career, Lorelle has been particularly commended for her inspired interpretation of Spanish piano music and has been invited to give presentations at some of Australasia's leading music conservatoriums.

After almost 10 years living abroad, Lorelle has returned to Aotearoa, where she continues a successful career as a solo and collaborative pianist. She is also an arts administrator at Chamber Music New Zealand | Puoro Taiwhanga Aotearoa.

Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist 

Milly Grant-Koria

Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Tainui, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Te Wehi, Native American, Potukara, Hāmoa, Hawai‘i

He tohunga rongoā rongonui a Milly Grant-Koria, ā, he kaiwhakaora, he mātanga otaota, he kaiārahi rangatahi, he kaiako nekehanga ahurea, he manu tīoriori, he kauwaka, he māngai hoki ia mō ngā iwi taketake o te ao.

Ko ia te kaiwhakahaere o Tūrongo Collective i te taha o tana tāne, ā, nā rāua te wheako ahurea Māori o Tāmaki Paenga Hira e whakahaere nei.

Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Tainui, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Te Wehi, Native American, Portuguese, Samoan, Hawai’ian

Milly Grant-Koria is an internationally recognised medicinal healer, therapist, herbalist, youth justice mentor, cultural embodied-movement practitioner, songbird, channeller and representative for Indigenous communities.

She is the director for Tūrongo Collective alongside her husband, who direct the Auckland Museum Māori Cultural experience.

Photo credit: Te Rawhitiroa Bosch

 

Tiaki Kerei | Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa

Mai i te tau 1999, kua rongonui a Tiaki hei kaikanikani Māori o nāianei, hei kaitito nekehanga hoki. Ko ia tētahi o ngā kaiwhakaū o Atamira Dance Collective me te kaiwhakahaere o I Moving Lab.

I whiwhi a Tiaki i te Karahipi AMP ki te haere ki Amerika. I reira, i noho ia hei ahorangi tautoko ki te University of California Riverside, hei ringatoi ki te University of California Berkeley i te Asian/Pacific/American Institute, hei Regent’s Scholar ki te University of California Los Angeles, hei kaiāwhina hoki mō te kaupapa Indigenous Choreographers at Riverside, e whakatairanga ana i ngā huarahi hou mō te kanikani taketake o nāianei.

E noho ana a Tiaki ki Aotearoa, ā, inā tata nei whakatū ai ia i te Whakamana Creatives me te Embodied Research Lab hei whakawhānui i te tirohanga ki te ao kanikani Māori o nāianei.

Since 1999, Tiaki has been a recognised contemporary Māori dancer and choreographer, a founding member of Atamira Dance Collective and director of I Moving Lab. Tiaki was an AMP Scholarship recipient to the United States of America, where he was a visiting assistant professor at University of California Riverside, artist in residence at University of California Berkeley, at the Asian/Pacific/American Institute, a Regent’s Scholar at University of California Los Angeles, and a contributor to Indigenous Choreographers at Riverside Project fostering new directions for Indigenous contemporary dance. Based in Aotearoa, Tiaki continues to broaden perceptions of Māori contemporary dance having recently established Whakamana Creatives and Embodied Research Lab.

Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist 

Celeste Botha

He kaiwhakaako kanikani a Celeste Botha, he kaitito nekehanga, he kaiwhakaari rongonui hoki, ā, kua neke atu i te 25 tau ia e whai wāhi ana ki te ao kanikani i Awherika ki te Tonga me te ao whānui. E noho ana ia ki Tāmaki Makaurau, ā, he kaikōkiri ia mō te kanikani hei toi, hei taonga whakawhanake i te tangata.

He hira o nā tata noa nei, ko tana urunga atu ki te Embodied Research Lab me tana tū ki TAPAC, he mea aratakina e Tiaki Kerei, e aro ana ki te whakaari Māori o nāianei. I mua, ko ia te Kaiwhakahaere Hōtaka Whakangungu i Jazzart Dance Theatre ki Cape Town, ā, i reira i waihanga marautanga ia me te ārahi i ngā kaikanikani e ara mai ana.

Ko Celeste te kaiwhakaū takirua o New World Dance Theatre (2013–23), e whakaputa mahi motuhake ana. He whānui ngā momo taera o āna tito nekehanga, pēnei i Boys in the Photograph nā Andrew Lloyd Webber rāua ko Ben Elton, So You Think You Can Dance (South Africa), me te 2023 Netball World Cup.

He kaiako kanikani ia i te University of Cape Town mō ngā tau 12. Kei te whakaawe tonu a Celeste i te hapori kanikani hei kaiako, hei puna auaha.

Celeste Botha is a renowned dance educator, choreographer, and performer with over 25 years of experience in South Africa and internationally. Based in Auckland, she advocates for dance as both an art form and a tool for personal growth. A recent highlight includes joining the Embodied Research Lab and performing at TAPAC directed by Tiaki Kerei, focusing on contemporary Māori performance. Previously, she was the Training Programme Manager at Jazzart Dance Theatre in Cape Town, where she developed curricula and mentored emerging dancers.

Celeste is the co-founder of New World Dance Theatre (2013–23), producing original works. Her choreography spans various genres, with credits including Boys in the Photograph by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton, So You Think You Can Dance (South Africa), and the 2023 Netball World Cup. She was also a dance lecturer at the University of Cape Town for 12 years. Celeste continues to inspire as a passionate educator and creative force in the dance community.

Photo credit: Ruth Smith

Jasmin Canuel

I whānau mai a Jasmin i Tauranga, Aotearoa, ā, mai i te tau 2012 e noho ana ia ki Piha, ki te uru o Tāmaki Makaurau. Ko tēnei taiao te whakaawenga, te mea whakaohooho i āna mahi toi peita me āna nekehanga kanikani.

Hei kaikanikani o nāianei e mahi motuhake ana, ka mahi tahi a Jasmin, ā, ka whakaatu ia ki Aotearoa whānui, ki tāwāhi anō, ki te taha o ngā kamupene me kaikanikani e aro ana ki ngā anga taketake, ki te taiao hoki.

Born in Tauranga Aotearoa New Zealand, Jasmin has been based in Piha on the west coast of Auckland since 2012. This environment greatly influences and inspires the concepts of her paintings and dance. As a freelance contemporary dance artist, Jasmin collaborates and performs nationally and internationally, often with companies and individuals working within an Indigenous framework and/or closely with the environment.

Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist 

 

Rosemary Whitehead

Kua whakangungua a Rosemary Whitehead hei kaihoahoa pūeru. Kua 35 tau ia e wheako ana i ēnei mahi i ngā taumata teitei o te ao kākahu me te hoahoa pūeru. I kuraina a Rosemary ki te New Zealand College of Fashion Design, ā, kā whakapōtae ia me ngā tohu huriao, Pōkairua Druleigh me te Pōkairua mō te waihanga pūtaketake. I ako ia ki te waihanga kākahu koere i te Wimbledon School of Art and Design, ā, ki te waihanga momo pōtae i te London College of Fashion Design.

I Rānana, ka mahi a Rosemary hei kaiāwhina whakaputa mō tētahi tino kaihoahoa pūeru i Kensington, arā ko Ritva Westenius. I muri i tērā, ka tū ia hei kaiwhakaputa matua mō te umanga Events Bridalwear. Haere te wā, ka mahi ia hei ūpoko kaihoahoa mō Chrisanne Clover, te umanga huriao matua mō ngā kākahu kanikani, ko tōna aronga matua ko ngā kākahu mō te kanikani ōkawa me te kanikani o nāianei. Ka whakakite ai ngā mahi a Rosemary ki te puka Vogue Weddings me te hōtaka Come Dancing. I Rānana, i hanga, ā, i whakaāhua i ētahi kākahu mō ngā whakaari.

I Aotearoa, kua mahikuhu a Rosemary hei kaihuatau mō ngā whakatairanga pouaka whakaata.  Kua mahi anō ia hei kaihoahoa kākahu whakaari mō ētahi kiriata huriao pēnei i a The Warriors Way. Kua whakakite ia i te pouaka whakaata i te hōtaka Home Front, hei tohunga whakarawe, anō hoki hei kaiwaihanga pūtaketake mō te New Zealand design companies Workshop me Sera Lily.

Ko te umanga o Rosemary, ka aro atu ki ngā kākahu mārena, whakaari, motuhake anō hoki. He kaitohutohu, he kaiwaihanga anō ia mō te umanga Yvonne Bennetti, he umanga mō ngā kākahu hāneanea mō te wahine. Ka aru a Rosemary ki te whakakākahu i te tangata kia māia, kia taiea.

Rosemary Whitehead is a professionally trained couturier and dress designer with 35 years’ experience working in both the high-level fashion and costume design industries. Rosemary trained at the New Zealand College of Fashion Design, graduating with the internationally recognised Druleigh Diploma and Diploma for Pattern Making. She also studied corsetry at the Wimbledon School of Art and Design, and millinery at the London College of Fashion Design.

In London, Rosemary was employed as a production assistant for high-end Kensington couturier Ritva Westenius, after which she was head of production for the Events Bridalwear company. She then worked as head designer for Chrisanne Clover, the leading international dance wear company, specialising in ballroom and modern dance. Rosemary’s works frequently featured in Vogue Weddings, and on the famed television show Come Dancing. While in London, Rosemary also developed and designed for theatrical works.

In New Zealand, Rosemary has freelanced as a stylist for television commercials and has worked as a costume designer for international films including The Warrior’s Way. She also appeared on Television New Zealand’s Home Front make-over series as the furnishings specialist and worked as a pattern-designer for the New Zealand design companies Workshop and Sera Lily.

Rosemary’s business specialises in bridal wear, costumes, and bespoke wear. She also advises and designs for luxury womenswear company Yvonne Bennetti. ‘Rosemary is consistently striving to give people the confidence to look and feel great.’

Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist