A celebration of Māori weaving in Te Hāwera at Labour weekend is calling kairaranga (weavers) from throughout New Zealand back home.
Whiria Taranaki, the first weaving symposium of its kind, is designed for Taranaki weavers who belong to one of the iwi around the maunga or who live in Taranaki.
Hosted by Toi o Taranaki Ki Te Tonga, a Taranaki-wide collective of Māori artists, Whiria Taranaki was an opportunity to create, connect, collaborate and celebrate all that Māori weaving materials and techniques are and can be, collective chairwoman Bonita Bigham said.
“It doesn’t matter what whakapapa you have, Māori or not or which level of weaving you are at, beginner or expert – this event is for everyone and anyone passionate about raranga (weaving).”
Whiria Taranaki has been supported with funding from Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage as part of a Toi o Taranaki Ki Te Tonga three-year project. Bigham said there had also been lots of interest in the limited spaces from Kairaranga Taranaki.