Hastings-born chainsaw carver Ben Waretini-Hemara has found international success with his double-animal sculptures.
Hastings-born chainsaw carver Ben Waretini-Hemara has found international success with his double-animal sculptures.
Just like the animals in Noah’s Ark, Hastings-born chainsaw artist Ben Waretini-Hemara has a bit of a knack for carving creatures two by two.
“I’ve got a bit of a pattern going, where if I carve double animals, it seems to get me in a good position for the placings in competitions,” he told Hawke’s Bay Today.
After 13 years living in Canada, he’s made quite a name for himself with his stunning wooden art, excelling in competitions and garnering multiple commissions in Canada and Aotearoa.
Two years of competing have seen him place third and second against some of the top chainsaw champions in the world.
He recently carved at Powell River carving competition against 11 other carvers and placed second, half a point from first place.
“For each competition, we get three and a half days to carve a masterpiece. The logs vary in size, so you come up with a design and try and make it work,” Waretini-Hemara said.
“Usually, it’s between 12 carvers, so I’m pretty stoked to place, and it means my work is getting better and better.”
Ben Waretini-Hemara has knack for chainsawing in a realist manner.
Now, he’s hoping to chip away at another big dream, which is to be the first Kiwi to compete in the exclusive invite-only Chetwynd International Chainsaw Carving Championship held in Little Prairie, British Columbia.
“The best of the best go. I actually met the selector last year when I placed third, and he was very impressed and told me to keep working and I’d get an invite.
“Last year, the winner of that competition got an invitation. I’m hoping now that he’s already been invited, they are looking at me in second, and that’s enough to get me an invitation next year.”
Growing up around marae, Waretini-Hemara said he was always drawn to traditional carvings, but a hand-carving workshop nine years ago ignited his passion for woodwork.
“I was always drawn to them because wood is a natural material and very tactile,” he told Hawke’s Bay Today last year.
He then discovered chainsaw carving was “quite a big thing” in the US and Canada, so decided to focus on moving his life there to pursue his passion.
Carving realism had become a big passion because he’d always been fascinated with wildlife.
“The thing with carving wildlife is you have to have your proportions right; otherwise, it doesn’t look very good. If you’re off, then the human eye can tell, and you lose points.”
Despite being so far away, he still proudly wears his Hawke’s Bay heart on his sleeve, with the New Zealand and Māori flags always making an appearance at his competition workstations.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
