One of the collective Te Kura Taumata o Panguru NCEA level 1 student works - Nau Mai ki te Puna i te Ao Mārama - in the Ringa Toi NCEA exhibition at Te Papa.
Northland students’ artwork, including from two Far North kura, is being celebrated at the Ringa Toi exhibition at Te Papa, in Wellington.
Students from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hokianga, Te Kura Taumata o Panguru, Tikipunga High School and Whangārei Boys High School are featured in the Ringa Toi student exhibition, which is on until September 27.
The students from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hokianga whose artworks are exhibited in Ringa Toi are Kingi Mitchell, Māhaki August and Sarah Nissen.
Te Kura Taumata o Panguru submitted pieces done by their NCEA level 1 students as a group, and each of the two pieces consists of several students’ artwork.
Tikipunga High School students Te Koha Williams-Burling, Leisharne Cooper-Harrison and Kiarna Reynolds – along with Whangārei Boys’ High School student Li’zaejah Wall – also have work in the exhibition.
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) co-ordinates Ringa Toi to recognise and celebrate student artists working towards NCEA.
“Ringa Toi has a focus on Toi Māori and Pacific arts, celebrating te ao Māori and Pacific cultures, and showcasing how traditional knowledge and skills can be incorporated into students’ formal education,” Jann Marshall, NZQA deputy chief executive assessment, said.
“This year a special category celebrates the 40th anniversary of Te Māori – the exhibition which showcased Toi Māori on a global stage, touring the United States in 1984, and returning home in 1987.”
The Ringa Toi Student Exhibition is open to the public at Te Papa, 55 Cable St, Wellington, from 10am to 6pm every day until September 27. There is no charge for entry.
Artworks exhibited include: Toi Wharepora (contemporary and traditional weaving forms)
Toi Whakairo (carving)
Toi Matihiko (digital print where the reproduction processes have been completed by computer)
Toi Matatuhi (printmaking)
Toi Waituhi (paint, ink, and drawing)
Toi Matarau (shaping and fashioning)
Toi Whakaahua (photography with no digital manipulation).
Kaupapa Pasifika (Pacific artwork)
Ringa Toi is an annual exhibition that showcases the artwork of secondary school students with a focus on Toi Māori and Pacific Arts at Excellence level.
Ringa Toi is recognised as a vehicle to enhance student engagement, achievement and encourage retention at school. It also provides a platform to advance the use of mātauranga Māori and Pacific knowledges and is a tool to accelerate Māori and Pacific learner success.
Each year over 80 artworks are submitted from ākonga around Aotearoa. Artworks in the exhibition are judged based on the above categories and awards are presented for the highly commended and commended winners. Visitors to the exhibition can also vote for the People’s Choice Award recipient.
The exhibition is open to all secondary school and wharekura students working towards achieving NCEA levels 1 to 3 with a focus on Toi Māori and Pacific artworks at excellence level. This may include mahi from, but not limited to, courses/subjects such as Visual Arts, Photography, Sculpture, Toi Ataata, Whakairo, Ngā Mahi a te Whare Pora, Niue Arts & Crafts.
Ākonga do not need to be studying an arts-based course/subject to participate in Ringa Toi. An example of this could include mahi from courses/subjects that are based on culture and language such as Te Ao Haka, Māori Performing Arts and Mau Rākau where ākonga create their own wearable piece like a maro or korowai, or Textiles and Design where ākonga might make kete, for example.