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What a great group of makers, had an amazing panel discussion yesterday and a great crowd that came to listen and obsorb the gems of knowledge and information. I wash listenig and looking at my panel mates and thinking wow, what a feeling to be surrounded by amazing makers and realising that your up there to sitting and conversing with people I have looked up to and am inspired by. Thank you to everyone that came to support and listen and to @nekemoa@kellymcdonaldnz@joesheehanart@sam_kelly_sculpture @matthewmcintyrewilson and of course @jhanamillersgalleryand @emilyhartleyskudder

MAKE

Jhana Millers is pleased to present Made, a group exhibition considering the lives of objects and how materials are gathered, shaped, worn, inherited, and transformed.

Bringing together six artists — Stevei Houkāmau, Sam Kelly, Kelly McDonald, Neke Moa, Joe Sheehan, and Matthew McIntyre Wilson — Made reflects the expanded field of contemporary jewellery practice in Aotearoa, moving between adornment, sculpture, and installation.

Across the exhibition, bone, stone, metal, uku, fibre, and found materials are transformed through processes grounded in memory, whakapapa, utility, and care. Underlying these practices is a shared attentiveness to material and the histories it carries.

Together, the artists in Made consider how objects hold identity, cultural continuity, and relationships to place, reflecting on what it means to make in Aotearoa today.

Contact @jhanamillersgallery for an exhibition catalogue.

Join us this Saturday for a kōrero with the artists in our current exhibition Made — Stevei Houkāmau, Sam Kelly, Kelly McDonald, Neke Moa, Joe Sheehan, and Matthew McIntyre Wilson

We’re not sure what directions this kōrero will take but it will definitely be interesting!

10.30am – 12pm, Saturday 30 May 2026

Refreshments will be served before and after

@kellymcdonaldnz
@ukumad
@matthewmcintyrewilson
@joesheehanart
@sam_kelly_sculpture
@nekemoa

Huge mihi to the whanau, toi whanau and friends that came and supported at the opening on MADE on Thursday night. Sorry I didn't get pics with everyone but thank you all, means alot to have been able to celebrate with you all in our hood x

Huge aroha to @spexone22 @djkerb1972 @lawrenique_williams and Swerve @weenutter808 @hemi.piripi @hera @karlamarie_ceramics @smallwondersbyegle aunty Wai, @juliawhaipooti @tehani_b_ @k.mccreature, sorry if iv missed anyone out and last but definitely not least thank you my love @jamie_berry_artist 🖤

Huge mihi to the whanau, toi whanau and friends that came and supported at the opening on MADE on Thursday night. Sorry I didn't get pics with everyone but thank you all, means alot to have been able to celebrate with you all in our hood x

Huge aroha to @spexone22 @djkerb1972 @lawrenique_williams and Swerve @weenutter808 @hemi.piripi @hera @karlamarie_ceramics @smallwondersbyegle aunty Wai, @juliawhaipooti @tehani_b_ @k.mccreature, sorry if iv missed anyone out and last but definitely not least thank you my love @jamie_berry_artist 🖤

Huge mihi to the whanau, toi whanau and friends that came and supported at the opening on MADE on Thursday night. Sorry I didn't get pics with everyone but thank you all, means alot to have been able to celebrate with you all in our hood x

Huge aroha to @spexone22 @djkerb1972 @lawrenique_williams and Swerve @weenutter808 @hemi.piripi @hera @karlamarie_ceramics @smallwondersbyegle aunty Wai, @juliawhaipooti @tehani_b_ @k.mccreature, sorry if iv missed anyone out and last but definitely not least thank you my love @jamie_berry_artist 🖤

Te Taura Toto o Porourangi
Uku, perspex, cord, sealer
2026

Currently on exhibition at @jhanamillersgalleryas part of group exhibition MADE.

Te Taura Toto o Porourangi takes the form of a taura, carrying the whakapapa of Porourangi through repeated Taratara-ā-kae patterns carved around each rod-like form. Referencing pou and customary whakairo language, the work speaks to continuity, protection, and the enduring nature of ancestral knowledge carried through generations.

The red bindings reference toto, the living bloodline holding each section together, while the overall form becomes a physical expression of whakapapa extending throughout the East Coast and continuing through the wearer. Although grounded in customary Māori visual language, the work also carries an almost mechanical and futuristic presence, resembling a conduit, transmission line, or ancestral mechanism.

For me, the work sits between inherited knowledge and imagined futures, reflecting whakapapa as a living system — something carried, adapted, and activated across time.

Handmade, hand carved

A huge thank you to Jhana for the opportunity to show this work and for creating space for contemporary Māori making here in Pōneke. It was an honour to exhibit alongside some seriously heavy-hitting makers and to be part of a show like this here in Wellington.

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who came through, supported the mahi, and connected with the work.

Available @jhanamillersgallery - DM the gallery or visit their website for more information

Ngā Niho o Hine-nui-te-pō
Uku, cord, sealer
2026

Radiating outward from the body, Ngā Niho o Hine-nui-te-pō speaks to the fierce and unapologetic mana of the feminine line. Hand-formed in uku and carved with repeated rhythm and tension, the sharpened forms reference niho, celestial transmissions, protective fields, and ancestral adornment systems carried across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.

The work exists within the realm of Hine-nui-te-pō — transformative, eternal, and all-encompassing. While grounded in customary whakairo language and the body, the form also carries an almost mechanical and futuristic presence, sitting somewhere between taonga, body architecture, and imagined future form. For me, the work reflects whakapapa as a living system — something carried through time, adapted, remembered, and projected forward into future generations.

A huge thank you to Jhana for the opportunity to show this work and for creating space for contemporary Māori making here in Pōneke. It was pretty special to exhibit alongside some seriously heavy-hitting makers and to see a show like this happening in Wellington.

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who came through, supported the mahi, and connected with the work.

📸 @adrianvercoe.co.nz and last few @ukumad
Sold 🖤 

#maorimaker #clay #whakapapa #recorder

Huge thank you to everyone who came out last night to tautoko the artists and their mahi in our new exhibition Made, featuring work by Neke Moa, Joe Sheehan, Stevei Houkāmau, Sam Kelly, Kelly McDonald, and Matthew McIntyre Wilson.

As a former contemporary jeweller and student in the jewellery department at Whitireia Polytechnic, it’s especially meaningful to present this exhibition. I studied alongside Neke and Sam under the tutelage of Kelly and Matthew, and have long admired Joe and Stevei’s work.

It’s a real privilege to have these incredible artists and friends together in the gallery over the next month.

Hope you get a chance to view the exhibition in person.

We will also be hosting all of the artists for a kōrero on Saturday 30 May, 10.30am–12pm. Join us to hear directly from the artists about the works in the exhibition.

Left to right:
Stevei Houkāmau @ukumad
Kelly McDonald @kellymcdonaldnz
Joe Sheehan @joesheehanart
Matthew McIntyre Wilson @matthewmcintyrewilson

Huge thank you to everyone who came out last night to tautoko the artists and their mahi in our new exhibition Made, featuring work by Neke Moa, Joe Sheehan, Stevei Houkāmau, Sam Kelly, Kelly McDonald, and Matthew McIntyre Wilson.

As a former contemporary jeweller and student in the jewellery department at Whitireia Polytechnic, it’s especially meaningful to present this exhibition. I studied alongside Neke and Sam under the tutelage of Kelly and Matthew, and have long admired Joe and Stevei’s work.

It’s a real privilege to have these incredible artists and friends together in the gallery over the next month.

Hope you get a chance to view the exhibition in person.

We will also be hosting all of the artists for a kōrero on Saturday 30 May, 10.30am–12pm. Join us to hear directly from the artists about the works in the exhibition.

Left to right:
Stevei Houkāmau @ukumad
Kelly McDonald @kellymcdonaldnz
Joe Sheehan @joesheehanart
Matthew McIntyre Wilson @matthewmcintyrewilson

Uku bolo tie -manu with kakano tips

Pm for details - available now

#bolotie #clay #manu #constellation

Uku bolo tie -manu with kakano tips

Pm for details - available now

#bolotie #clay #manu #constellation

Uku bolo tie -manu with kakano tips

Pm for details - available now

#bolotie #clay #manu #constellation

Uku bolo tie -manu with kakano tips

Pm for details - available now

#bolotie #clay #manu #constellation

Uku bolo tie -manu with kakano tips

Pm for details - available now

#bolotie #clay #manu #constellation

Uku bolo tie -manu with kakano tips

Pm for details - available now

#bolotie #clay #manu #constellation

Uku bolo tie -manu with kakano tips

Pm for details - available now

#bolotie #clay #manu #constellation

Uku bolo tie with kakano ends and paua inlay

Still refining these but this one is up for grabs PM for details.

#bolotie #clay #artist #makersgonnamake

Uku bolo tie with kakano ends and paua inlay

Still refining these but this one is up for grabs PM for details.

#bolotie #clay #artist #makersgonnamake

Uku bolo tie with kakano ends and paua inlay

Still refining these but this one is up for grabs PM for details.

#bolotie #clay #artist #makersgonnamake

Uku bolo tie with kakano ends and paua inlay

Still refining these but this one is up for grabs PM for details.

#bolotie #clay #artist #makersgonnamake

Uku bolo tie with kakano ends and paua inlay

Still refining these but this one is up for grabs PM for details.

#bolotie #clay #artist #makersgonnamake

Kia Ora Kia Ora peeps, Ill be part of Nelson Clay week coming up in October in Whakatū, Exhibitions, a workshop and a full day demo as well, head over to the website and book your space for the workshop and also check out the amazing variety of workshops and epic events that are up for grabs now on the @nelson.clay.week website. Give their IG a follow to get updates and more info about the shenanigans that are to be had. Always an amazing time and a great team of artists who are the backbone of a great week.
https://clayweek.ssboxoffice.com

Nothing like having the whanau roll up to support 🙌awesome to see you @davidgraceinjusticemusic and thanks for supporting @ngati2cheekiestudio and Jamie and I. Good luck with the rest of your mahi and cant wait for the album drop.

As always @hashtag_stayblessed mean to catch up and hangs and laughs about our spiciness 🤣

Also big shout out to the cuzzie @ashj1010 for dropping by with some treats and Kina for the winner @jamie_berry_artist, no words can express how it feels to be supported by whanau especially the Hati Ngati ones 😀

#eastcoast #poriruaraised #hatingati #whanau

Jhana Millers Gallery is pleased to present Made, featuring mahi by Stevei Houkāmau, Sam Kelly, Kelly McDonald, Neke Moa, Joe Sheehan, and Matthew McIntyre Wilson.

Opening 5pm, Thursday 21 May 2026.

Made brings together six artists working across adornment, sculpture, and installation, reflecting the expanded field of contemporary jewellery practice in Aotearoa.

Bone, stone, metal, uku, fibre, and found materials are transformed through processes grounded in memory, whakapapa, utility, and care. Together, these artists consider how objects carry identity, cultural continuity, and relationships to place.

A text by Zoe Black accompanies the exhibition.

——

Stevei Houkāmau (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) @ukumad
Sam Kelly @sam_kelly_sculpture
Kelly McDonald @kellymcdonaldnz
Neke Moa (Whare Papaīra, Ngāti Kahungunu, Kai Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) @nekemoa
Joe Sheehan @joesheehanart
Matthew McIntyre Wilson (Taranaki, Ngā Māhanga, Tītahi) @matthewmcintyrewilson @thepriceofchange

Images:
Stevei Houkāmau, Ngā Niho o Hine-nui-te-pō, 2026
Neke Moa, Tū mai Whaiwheke! — stand strong!, 2026

Jhana Millers Gallery is pleased to present Made, featuring mahi by Stevei Houkāmau, Sam Kelly, Kelly McDonald, Neke Moa, Joe Sheehan, and Matthew McIntyre Wilson.

Opening 5pm, Thursday 21 May 2026.

Made brings together six artists working across adornment, sculpture, and installation, reflecting the expanded field of contemporary jewellery practice in Aotearoa.

Bone, stone, metal, uku, fibre, and found materials are transformed through processes grounded in memory, whakapapa, utility, and care. Together, these artists consider how objects carry identity, cultural continuity, and relationships to place.

A text by Zoe Black accompanies the exhibition.

——

Stevei Houkāmau (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) @ukumad
Sam Kelly @sam_kelly_sculpture
Kelly McDonald @kellymcdonaldnz
Neke Moa (Whare Papaīra, Ngāti Kahungunu, Kai Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) @nekemoa
Joe Sheehan @joesheehanart
Matthew McIntyre Wilson (Taranaki, Ngā Māhanga, Tītahi) @matthewmcintyrewilson @thepriceofchange

Images:
Stevei Houkāmau, Ngā Niho o Hine-nui-te-pō, 2026
Neke Moa, Tū mai Whaiwheke! — stand strong!, 2026

Receiving moko upon my pongaponga has shifted something deeply within me. You don’t realise until you receive something so important how deeply it can change you from within. Over the last couple of months this journey has become far more than the receiving of traditional markings — it has felt like a revealing of self that had always been waiting beneath the surface.

There was also something incredibly special about receiving this upon my ihu here in Porirua. Although my tīpuna are not from this whenua, this is the place that raised me, shaped me, and made me who I am. To receive these markings here, in the place of my upbringing, carried a deep feeling of connection and significance for me. Throughout the process I could feel my tīpuna around me, holding me, guiding me, and standing beside me in ways that are hard to explain but impossible to ignore.

Huge aroha and gratitude to you Sian @ngaarahuink , for approaching me, for your guidance, patience, care, and for holding this process with such intention. The level of precision within your mahi is incredible. Watching you work, every line and placement carried purpose. You spent hours making sure everything sat exactly right, and I felt completely held throughout the entire experience. That kind of care is a gift in itself.

I wear my pongāhau nuku with immense pride and humility. To stand wearing the markings of my tīpuna feels both grounding and emotional in ways I struggle to fully explain. When I finally stood and looked at myself in the mirror afterwards, I honestly felt like I was seeing myself clearly for the first time.

I’m also deeply aware of the privilege and responsibility of being the first of my nan’s mokopuna to wear these ancestral markings upon my pongaponga. I carry that with aroha, respect, and gratitude for those who came before me and those yet to come.

A huge thank you also to @jamie_berry_artist, for always standing beside me, supporting me as I step into these spaces, and always having my back through every part of this journey. 🖤

E mihi ana ki a koe Sian. Your ringa (hands), your knowledge, your wairua, and your artistry are extraordinary. I will wear this with pride always. 🖤

Receiving moko upon my pongaponga has shifted something deeply within me. You don’t realise until you receive something so important how deeply it can change you from within. Over the last couple of months this journey has become far more than the receiving of traditional markings — it has felt like a revealing of self that had always been waiting beneath the surface.

There was also something incredibly special about receiving this upon my ihu here in Porirua. Although my tīpuna are not from this whenua, this is the place that raised me, shaped me, and made me who I am. To receive these markings here, in the place of my upbringing, carried a deep feeling of connection and significance for me. Throughout the process I could feel my tīpuna around me, holding me, guiding me, and standing beside me in ways that are hard to explain but impossible to ignore.

Huge aroha and gratitude to you Sian @ngaarahuink , for approaching me, for your guidance, patience, care, and for holding this process with such intention. The level of precision within your mahi is incredible. Watching you work, every line and placement carried purpose. You spent hours making sure everything sat exactly right, and I felt completely held throughout the entire experience. That kind of care is a gift in itself.

I wear my pongāhau nuku with immense pride and humility. To stand wearing the markings of my tīpuna feels both grounding and emotional in ways I struggle to fully explain. When I finally stood and looked at myself in the mirror afterwards, I honestly felt like I was seeing myself clearly for the first time.

I’m also deeply aware of the privilege and responsibility of being the first of my nan’s mokopuna to wear these ancestral markings upon my pongaponga. I carry that with aroha, respect, and gratitude for those who came before me and those yet to come.

A huge thank you also to @jamie_berry_artist, for always standing beside me, supporting me as I step into these spaces, and always having my back through every part of this journey. 🖤

E mihi ana ki a koe Sian. Your ringa (hands), your knowledge, your wairua, and your artistry are extraordinary. I will wear this with pride always. 🖤

Receiving moko upon my pongaponga has shifted something deeply within me. You don’t realise until you receive something so important how deeply it can change you from within. Over the last couple of months this journey has become far more than the receiving of traditional markings — it has felt like a revealing of self that had always been waiting beneath the surface.

There was also something incredibly special about receiving this upon my ihu here in Porirua. Although my tīpuna are not from this whenua, this is the place that raised me, shaped me, and made me who I am. To receive these markings here, in the place of my upbringing, carried a deep feeling of connection and significance for me. Throughout the process I could feel my tīpuna around me, holding me, guiding me, and standing beside me in ways that are hard to explain but impossible to ignore.

Huge aroha and gratitude to you Sian @ngaarahuink , for approaching me, for your guidance, patience, care, and for holding this process with such intention. The level of precision within your mahi is incredible. Watching you work, every line and placement carried purpose. You spent hours making sure everything sat exactly right, and I felt completely held throughout the entire experience. That kind of care is a gift in itself.

I wear my pongāhau nuku with immense pride and humility. To stand wearing the markings of my tīpuna feels both grounding and emotional in ways I struggle to fully explain. When I finally stood and looked at myself in the mirror afterwards, I honestly felt like I was seeing myself clearly for the first time.

I’m also deeply aware of the privilege and responsibility of being the first of my nan’s mokopuna to wear these ancestral markings upon my pongaponga. I carry that with aroha, respect, and gratitude for those who came before me and those yet to come.

A huge thank you also to @jamie_berry_artist, for always standing beside me, supporting me as I step into these spaces, and always having my back through every part of this journey. 🖤

E mihi ana ki a koe Sian. Your ringa (hands), your knowledge, your wairua, and your artistry are extraordinary. I will wear this with pride always. 🖤

Receiving moko upon my pongaponga has shifted something deeply within me. You don’t realise until you receive something so important how deeply it can change you from within. Over the last couple of months this journey has become far more than the receiving of traditional markings — it has felt like a revealing of self that had always been waiting beneath the surface.

There was also something incredibly special about receiving this upon my ihu here in Porirua. Although my tīpuna are not from this whenua, this is the place that raised me, shaped me, and made me who I am. To receive these markings here, in the place of my upbringing, carried a deep feeling of connection and significance for me. Throughout the process I could feel my tīpuna around me, holding me, guiding me, and standing beside me in ways that are hard to explain but impossible to ignore.

Huge aroha and gratitude to you Sian @ngaarahuink , for approaching me, for your guidance, patience, care, and for holding this process with such intention. The level of precision within your mahi is incredible. Watching you work, every line and placement carried purpose. You spent hours making sure everything sat exactly right, and I felt completely held throughout the entire experience. That kind of care is a gift in itself.

I wear my pongāhau nuku with immense pride and humility. To stand wearing the markings of my tīpuna feels both grounding and emotional in ways I struggle to fully explain. When I finally stood and looked at myself in the mirror afterwards, I honestly felt like I was seeing myself clearly for the first time.

I’m also deeply aware of the privilege and responsibility of being the first of my nan’s mokopuna to wear these ancestral markings upon my pongaponga. I carry that with aroha, respect, and gratitude for those who came before me and those yet to come.

A huge thank you also to @jamie_berry_artist, for always standing beside me, supporting me as I step into these spaces, and always having my back through every part of this journey. 🖤

E mihi ana ki a koe Sian. Your ringa (hands), your knowledge, your wairua, and your artistry are extraordinary. I will wear this with pride always. 🖤

Receiving moko upon my pongaponga has shifted something deeply within me. You don’t realise until you receive something so important how deeply it can change you from within. Over the last couple of months this journey has become far more than the receiving of traditional markings — it has felt like a revealing of self that had always been waiting beneath the surface.

There was also something incredibly special about receiving this upon my ihu here in Porirua. Although my tīpuna are not from this whenua, this is the place that raised me, shaped me, and made me who I am. To receive these markings here, in the place of my upbringing, carried a deep feeling of connection and significance for me. Throughout the process I could feel my tīpuna around me, holding me, guiding me, and standing beside me in ways that are hard to explain but impossible to ignore.

Huge aroha and gratitude to you Sian @ngaarahuink , for approaching me, for your guidance, patience, care, and for holding this process with such intention. The level of precision within your mahi is incredible. Watching you work, every line and placement carried purpose. You spent hours making sure everything sat exactly right, and I felt completely held throughout the entire experience. That kind of care is a gift in itself.

I wear my pongāhau nuku with immense pride and humility. To stand wearing the markings of my tīpuna feels both grounding and emotional in ways I struggle to fully explain. When I finally stood and looked at myself in the mirror afterwards, I honestly felt like I was seeing myself clearly for the first time.

I’m also deeply aware of the privilege and responsibility of being the first of my nan’s mokopuna to wear these ancestral markings upon my pongaponga. I carry that with aroha, respect, and gratitude for those who came before me and those yet to come.

A huge thank you also to @jamie_berry_artist, for always standing beside me, supporting me as I step into these spaces, and always having my back through every part of this journey. 🖤

E mihi ana ki a koe Sian. Your ringa (hands), your knowledge, your wairua, and your artistry are extraordinary. I will wear this with pride always. 🖤

Receiving moko upon my pongaponga has shifted something deeply within me. You don’t realise until you receive something so important how deeply it can change you from within. Over the last couple of months this journey has become far more than the receiving of traditional markings — it has felt like a revealing of self that had always been waiting beneath the surface.

There was also something incredibly special about receiving this upon my ihu here in Porirua. Although my tīpuna are not from this whenua, this is the place that raised me, shaped me, and made me who I am. To receive these markings here, in the place of my upbringing, carried a deep feeling of connection and significance for me. Throughout the process I could feel my tīpuna around me, holding me, guiding me, and standing beside me in ways that are hard to explain but impossible to ignore.

Huge aroha and gratitude to you Sian @ngaarahuink , for approaching me, for your guidance, patience, care, and for holding this process with such intention. The level of precision within your mahi is incredible. Watching you work, every line and placement carried purpose. You spent hours making sure everything sat exactly right, and I felt completely held throughout the entire experience. That kind of care is a gift in itself.

I wear my pongāhau nuku with immense pride and humility. To stand wearing the markings of my tīpuna feels both grounding and emotional in ways I struggle to fully explain. When I finally stood and looked at myself in the mirror afterwards, I honestly felt like I was seeing myself clearly for the first time.

I’m also deeply aware of the privilege and responsibility of being the first of my nan’s mokopuna to wear these ancestral markings upon my pongaponga. I carry that with aroha, respect, and gratitude for those who came before me and those yet to come.

A huge thank you also to @jamie_berry_artist, for always standing beside me, supporting me as I step into these spaces, and always having my back through every part of this journey. 🖤

E mihi ana ki a koe Sian. Your ringa (hands), your knowledge, your wairua, and your artistry are extraordinary. I will wear this with pride always. 🖤

Receiving moko upon my pongaponga has shifted something deeply within me. You don’t realise until you receive something so important how deeply it can change you from within. Over the last couple of months this journey has become far more than the receiving of traditional markings — it has felt like a revealing of self that had always been waiting beneath the surface.

There was also something incredibly special about receiving this upon my ihu here in Porirua. Although my tīpuna are not from this whenua, this is the place that raised me, shaped me, and made me who I am. To receive these markings here, in the place of my upbringing, carried a deep feeling of connection and significance for me. Throughout the process I could feel my tīpuna around me, holding me, guiding me, and standing beside me in ways that are hard to explain but impossible to ignore.

Huge aroha and gratitude to you Sian @ngaarahuink , for approaching me, for your guidance, patience, care, and for holding this process with such intention. The level of precision within your mahi is incredible. Watching you work, every line and placement carried purpose. You spent hours making sure everything sat exactly right, and I felt completely held throughout the entire experience. That kind of care is a gift in itself.

I wear my pongāhau nuku with immense pride and humility. To stand wearing the markings of my tīpuna feels both grounding and emotional in ways I struggle to fully explain. When I finally stood and looked at myself in the mirror afterwards, I honestly felt like I was seeing myself clearly for the first time.

I’m also deeply aware of the privilege and responsibility of being the first of my nan’s mokopuna to wear these ancestral markings upon my pongaponga. I carry that with aroha, respect, and gratitude for those who came before me and those yet to come.

A huge thank you also to @jamie_berry_artist, for always standing beside me, supporting me as I step into these spaces, and always having my back through every part of this journey. 🖤

E mihi ana ki a koe Sian. Your ringa (hands), your knowledge, your wairua, and your artistry are extraordinary. I will wear this with pride always. 🖤

Receiving moko upon my pongaponga has shifted something deeply within me. You don’t realise until you receive something so important how deeply it can change you from within. Over the last couple of months this journey has become far more than the receiving of traditional markings — it has felt like a revealing of self that had always been waiting beneath the surface.

There was also something incredibly special about receiving this upon my ihu here in Porirua. Although my tīpuna are not from this whenua, this is the place that raised me, shaped me, and made me who I am. To receive these markings here, in the place of my upbringing, carried a deep feeling of connection and significance for me. Throughout the process I could feel my tīpuna around me, holding me, guiding me, and standing beside me in ways that are hard to explain but impossible to ignore.

Huge aroha and gratitude to you Sian @ngaarahuink , for approaching me, for your guidance, patience, care, and for holding this process with such intention. The level of precision within your mahi is incredible. Watching you work, every line and placement carried purpose. You spent hours making sure everything sat exactly right, and I felt completely held throughout the entire experience. That kind of care is a gift in itself.

I wear my pongāhau nuku with immense pride and humility. To stand wearing the markings of my tīpuna feels both grounding and emotional in ways I struggle to fully explain. When I finally stood and looked at myself in the mirror afterwards, I honestly felt like I was seeing myself clearly for the first time.

I’m also deeply aware of the privilege and responsibility of being the first of my nan’s mokopuna to wear these ancestral markings upon my pongaponga. I carry that with aroha, respect, and gratitude for those who came before me and those yet to come.

A huge thank you also to @jamie_berry_artist, for always standing beside me, supporting me as I step into these spaces, and always having my back through every part of this journey. 🖤

E mihi ana ki a koe Sian. Your ringa (hands), your knowledge, your wairua, and your artistry are extraordinary. I will wear this with pride always. 🖤