Te Waiāmio Adds
Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Ranginui
I am currently doing a Bachelor of Arts at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, majoring in Modern Language Studies. Throughout my time at university so far, I have had the chance to expand my knowledge of te ao Māori. In doing so, I have developed an interest in Māori art, leading me to apply for a Te Herenga Waka Taihonoa Summer Internship at Toi Māori.
My role at Toi Māori is to develop a Māori Art Masterclass Programme for 2022, where we will create opportunities for expert Māori artists to share their knowledge and help others learn. I am working on the programme now, lining up presenters and topics and developing a marketing strategy.
The Taihonoa internship has given me valuable office work experience and a chance to hone my skills in project management.
Post-Internship Statement:
My role at Toi Māori has been to develop a Māori art masterclass programme called Mākura Ariki. This involved things like market research, creating feasibility reports, and a business plan.
My experience at Toi Māori was very good. I’ve learnt a lot of new things and had some great opportunities. I have gained a lot of office experience and have had the chance to travel around New Zealand to share my work.
My biggest highlight of working at Toi Māori over the summer was getting the chance to go to Christchurch to present my project to the Toi Māori board of trustees. This was a great experience for me because I got important feedback from people directly involved in the project and got to meet a lot of people that work with Toi Māori.
Another highlight for me was on that same Christchurch trip: I got to go to the exhibition opening of Te Puna Waiora at Christchurch Art Gallery. It was an amazing experience because I got to meet a lot of artists and see the exhibition.
My recommendation for people wanting to apply for this internship is to just go for it. You have nothing to lose and if you get it, you will learn so many new things and have a lot of new experiences.
