A statement from the awards said: “She aims to decolonise the minds of her generation and
re-indigenise their thought patterns, by emphasising the significance of Māori language and culture.”
Bridy, 23, said she only decided at the last moment to enter the award. The award comes with a scholarship as a prize. Bridy entered the night before applications closed and then did not think much more about it.
“I actually forgot about it for a couple of weeks until they called me and told me that I had received the award. I was shocked, but it is really cool.
“The main reason I wanted to apply for it was because I had a show coming up this year for my honours programme, and I wanted that to help me create my artwork for that show, prepare me. That was my aim, and that was my goal.”
It has been a busy few years for Bridy because she also received the Ruanuku Award. It is awarded every year to the top all-round student at Toihoukura.
The Ruanuku is for a final-year undergraduate art student who performs at a high level across a range of requirements.
The scholarship from her latest award has helped Bridy with the costs of staging an exhibition at the Nancy Caiger Gallery at The Meteor Theatre in Hamilton.
“It helped a lot with the costs of printing, gallery hire and materials.”
Her exhibition was about karakia — traditional Māori incantations.
“It’s about using karakia in open spaces. I know that Māori often don’t use it when we really need to. So, walking into a foreign space or a space we don’t feel comfortable in, performing a karakia —even if it’s just to yourself to clear that pathway —can bring some sort of protected shelter over you and make you feel safe within that space.
“My show talks about the process of it — from the beginning to the end — and it kind of takes you on a spiritual journey.”
As for the future, Bridy hopes to study further to be a teacher. She is currently working full-time at the kura Tōku Māpihi Maurea in Waikato while studying online at Toihoukura.
“I suppose . . . because my purpose for now — and probably for my future — is to give back, and that’s what I’m trying to do. So, it really makes me happy knowing that I can share my skills and knowledge and pass it down so it carries on the art form and the teachings.”
Tracey Leigh Mihinoa Tangihaere, executive director of EIT|Te Pūkenga Tairāwhiti Campus and Head of Toihoukura, said the following about the successful student.
“Bridy is a talented artist who brings her mātauranga Māori alive in her work.
“She brings inquiry to the state of our own cultural norms and customs and finds a place in challenging times to anchor ourselves to our values to produce resilience and faith. Her visual work is testimony to hard work and faith in wairuatanga to overcome adversity. It’s a great reminder to us all.”
