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See below for English translation
E tika ana te whakapae ko te rangatiratanga me te mōhiotanga ki ngā mahi a Rehia kai te whakapapa o te tangata ko ana mahi ngangahu katoa he mea tuku iho i ngā tupuna.
E taea ai tēnei whakaaro ki a Tukiri Tini. He rangatira i whānau i te pā taunaha o Te Whakarewarewa, te turangawaewae o tōna matua wahine.
Koia nei a Tukiri te ringa rehe i tū kaha ai i te whakataetae i whakatūria hai kaupapa mana nui mō te Kīngi Māori a Tueheitia. Ko te tau tuarua tēnei o tēnei whakakitenga rangatira.Ko te roanga atu o tōna ingoa, ko Tukiri Te Rakiamoa Hipirini Tini.
E rua tekau mā whitu te rahi. Nō Tainui, nō Te Arawa me Ngāi Tahu ōna kāwai nui.Koia hoki te whakapakanga o ngā tamariki a Bill Koro Tini me Maria Te Aranga Tini (nee Bradshaw) me e ora tonu nei tōna matua wahine ko eke ia ki te whitu tekau mā tahi o ngā tau ā te Wenerei.
Tuturu nō te Kīngitanga tōna matua tāne, ā, kai reira tonu ana whānanunga e toutou kongakonga ana.
Ko te take i whakatūria ai te whakataetae mahi toi whakanui i te Kīngitanga, e whakaihiiihi me te amo ngā tini tohunga mahi toi he ahakoa pakeke mai he ahakoa rangatahi mai.
Ki tō Tukiri whakaaro, he kaupapa hoki e whakakotahi ai ngā herenga whakapapa o ia rangatira ki te pūtake o Taupiri maunga otīā te Kīngitanga.
‘I whirihia ahau e te pae whiriwhiri nā taku kaha me taku whakapono ki ngā mahi toi, he waimarie nōku i whai tūnga ai ahau ki te kawe i te mauri o tōku koroua ki te ao mārama e takoto nei. Ko Te Hira Roa Pateoro Bill William Tini tōna ingoa’.
He tohunga whakairo rākau a Tukiri, kai Te Putake o Tawa kai te huarahi ki Tarawera tana pou whakahirahira e tū matahao ana.
E whā mita te taroaroa o tana pou rangatira, ko Umukaria te tupuna. Ko Umukaria te matua tāne o Wāhiao, ā, nā Wāhiao ko Hinemoa. Ko Hinemoa ka moe i a Tūtānekai ka puta te iwi.Kua neke atu i te kotahi ngahuru o ngā tau a Tukiri e paopao rākau ana.
He tauira ia nā Te Puia. Ko Te New Zealand Maori Art and Crafts Institute kai Rotowhio e tū ana. Ko Toi Whakairo tana pākihi, kua whitu tau tana pākihi e whakapau kaha ana. He mātanga whakairo rākau ia, ae.
Nā tōna kiri whānaunga a Tony Thompson i akiaki i a ia ki te whai i tēnei ao.
“Nō te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā whiti te tau i whakaarangia taku pākihi. Ka nui hoki ngā take i whakaarangia ai e ahau taku pākihi.
‘Hai awhina i te hunga whakamā ki te tono whakairo, rānei e whakamā ana i te kore mōhio ki tō rātau ao taketake. Wheoi anō tēnei whare e ora e pupuri ai te mana o te ao tawhito’.
Kāore e ārikarika ana kupu aroha ki te hunga i amo i a ia kia ea ai tana whai mātauranga i te ao whakairo rākau. Kai ngā rangatira tēnā rā kotou katoa.Nā reira pea ka ihiiihi ai hoki te hunga rangatahi ki tēnei huarahi.
“Kāti e hoa mā he ahakoa te huarahi kai mua i a koe. Kurua te takataka, kauria ngā wai kanakana, kia ūpoko māhewahewa te tū”. Engari anō a Tukiri ka nui tana hiahia ki te whakakaha ake i ana pukenga whakairo me te kapa haka.’Ko te kōmata o te rangi me he tohunga mahi toi.
“Kāore he manawa kōrero ki te mana o tōku ao Māori’.
—Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
Ngā mahi toi is part of Tukiri Tini’s DNA and his creativity expands as he grows older.
Born and bred at his mother’s pā at Whakarewarewa, Tukiri was highly commended in this year’s Kiingi Tuheitia portraiture competition. It is the second year the competition has been run.
Tukiri Te Rakiamoa Hipirini Tini, 27, has whakapapa to Tainui, Te Arawa and Ngai Tahu. He is the youngest child of Bill Koro Tini and the late Maria Te Aranga Tini (nee Bradshaw) who would have turned 71 on Wednesday.
His father’s family are tūturu Kīngitanga followers and lived at Tūrangawaewae where some members of the whanau still reside.
The national portraiture competition was initiated to inspire and encourage up-and-coming Māori artists. It involves the Kīngitanga and various artists throughout the motu who help to judge and also many galleries who display the taonga.
Tukiri believes the kaupapa is to inspire more Māori artists to share their hononga to the Kīngitanga and to further enhance the portrayal of traditional and contemporary art.
“I was selected as a highly commended artist for this competition and very proud to have received this award as this taonga I carved was a representation of my grandfather Te Hira Roa Pateoro Bill Willam Tini.”
Tukiri is a highly talented artist and one of his finest works can be seen at the mountain bike hub Te Putake o Tawa on the road to Tarawera.
His 4m-tall tōtara carving is the first encountered when entering the hub. It is of the Tūhourangi tūpuna Umukaria, the father of Wāhiao and Hinemoa.
Tukiri has been carving for 10 years, having trained at Te Puia, the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. His business, Toi Whakairo, has been up and running for seven years. He is now a mātanga whakairo and was inspired to take up carving by his cousin Tony Thompson.
“My business was established in 2017. This was also created for Māori who are too whakamā to approach any kai whakairo as a lot of our people may not know a lot about their taha Māori.
“So, this was made as a safe place for those people but to all Māori who wish to have authentic taonga Māori.”
Tukiri is thankful for the support and encouragement of his whanau and friends and he wants to inspire more young Māori who are passionate in whakairo.
“But to all our people in whatever journey you wish to follow: Keep going and never hold back.”
For him personally, Tukiri wants to keep carving, and keep performing kapa haka.
“I am aspiring to become a Tāmoko artist. Love my culture!”
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