RONGOMAIAIA TE WHAITI

Kei aku whakatamarahi ki te rangi, kei aku whakateitei ki te whenua, tēnā koutou katoa. 

He uri ahau nō ngā kāwaiwhakapapa o te Wairarapa me Te Waipounamu, o ngā hapū ki tai, o ngā hapū ki uta. Ko Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa me Ngāi Tahu ōku iwi. Ko Rongomaiaia Te Whaiti ahau. 

My journey in ngā toi Māori began as a painter, and over the past decade, it has evolved to include leadership roles advocating for ngā toi Māaori in various spaces. From 2018 to 2024, I was privileged to be a trustee of the Paemanu Ngāi Tahu Contemporary Visual ARts Trust, carving space for Ngāi Tahu contemporary artists in galleries both locally and internationally. I hold the position of Kaihautū Toi Māori at Massey University’s College of Creative Arts and a Te Ātinga committee member representing the rohe of Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Wairarapa. 

I am honoured to now be working alongside my fellow board members to help support and grow the vision of Toi Māori Aotearoa, enhancing the visibility, appreciation and development of ngā toi Māori, ensuring they remain a vibrant and essential part of the cultural landscape of Aotearoa to be shared across the globe.