Leading Māori artists and creatives who whakapapa to the Tauranga Moana region form a new Pilot cluster, led by an experienced iwi arts development team at Te Tuhi Mareikura Charitable Trust. The cluster includes internationally-renowned multi-disciplinary artist Tracey Tawhiao and esteemed master carver Clive Fugill, alongside many other equally diverse and celebrated Māori artists from the area. Trust chairperson Julie Paama-Pengelly, a tā moko artist, painter, and curator herself, and the project lead, knows ecommerce and digital capability can support artists to cross the digital divide and, more importantly, gain exposure. This Pilot will effectively create a regional, online art gallery space for authentic Māori art, where Tauranga Moana Māori artists can present their story and connections to Tauranga, and sell their work. It's a significant opportunity for the artist community, and for the wider regional area in terms of growth and development. Taking a partnership approach, the Trust will provide philosophical leadership and curatorial expertise to support the artists and help them navigate the art market and economics, as they embark on this digital journey.

"This Pilot will help us fulfil our aspirations as Tauranga regional Māori artists, tangata whenua, and is part of a larger legacy project to cement Māori arts in the region. We hope to share the breadth of Māori artistic abilities with wider networks via digital, to uphold the legacy of art by Tauranga iwi into the future.

"Our five-year goal as a Trust is to create a Tauranga Moana Māori arts exhibition centre as a focal point for our artists, and this project helps us achieve that in the broader digital space." 

Julie Paama-Pengelly

Chairperson of Te Tuhi Mareikura Trust