Harikoa te Ngākau – Michelle Hinekura Kerr

The mahi in this exhibition was influenced by observations I made whilst spending time with my whānau during this Christmas summer break. Throughout the break my whānau assembled from the regions to camp on our ancestral land, next to our awa and at the feet of our maunga. Whilst there I witnessed such happiness amongst my whanaunga, and I asked myself “where was this increase in wellness coming from?” Which led to many a discussion with my whānau young and old during our numerous hākari together.

As a whānau we discussed the ancestral umbilical connection we have with the whenua. We deliberated on the healing powers of our awa and the life force drawn from our maunga that is emitted through us. I witnessed our rangatahi benefited from the intergenerational knowledge being passed down to them from their nanny and papa. We fished with handlines, set the flounder net, dived for kai moana, slept in the afternoon, swam with our children in the awa, tended our maara, shared kai and reconnected, we laughed and cried and we realise in these tough times that life is too short and we need to love and appreciate the time we have together while we can.

So based on these new revelations and observations, I wove my taonga for my exhibition.