Originally from Auckland, Linda Tokona has been working with harakeke since 2017. Now living in Mamaku, Rotorua, she holds a Bachelor of Maori Art (Raranga).

Gaining inspiration from indigenous artists world wide, Linda is extremely grateful for their input into her life. These artists provide levels of excellence and creativity to strive towards. The connections they make transcend barriers of age, gender, race and culture and can be held up as a model prescription for living.

There is nothing quite like harakeke plants dancing and playing in the sun, wind and rain. The natural resources they provide build on the foundation of knowledge eternal in the past, eternal in the future.

Linda’s contributions to the exhibition “Tipu te Toi, Whanake te Toi, Ora te Toi” (Grow the art, develop the art, sustain the art) have given her an opportunity to play with muka in a way she hopes reflects the integrity of both the resource and the knowledge.