Ngāi tai ki Tamaki, Wai o Hua, Te Kawerau a Maki

Through the use of fused and blown glass, textiles, and other media, Te Rongo creates objects that blur the boundaries between sculpture, craft, and personal adornment. Her work often incorporates glass elements, each bearing its own language and patterns into dialogue with other materials and the weaving techniques and symbolism employed by Māori artists.

Te Rongo draws from both Māori and Pākehā knowledge systems to inform her conceptual and visual frameworks, examining the convergence of space and time as envisioned in the Māori worldview. These multiple strands of knowledge support her exploration of celestial themes, the interplay of past, present, and future, and the existential connections between all things—whakapapa.