We are excited to announce Julie Paama-Pengell's four-part lecture series, Māori Art Through the Lens of Te Ao Māori, on Wednesdays, 5–26 Aug 2026, 5.30–7pm, at Toi Tauranga Art Gallery.
This series explores the vitality of Ngā Toi Māori, using Julie Paama-Pengelly’s book Māori Art and Design (2010) as the foundation for examining the essential legacies of Māori creative practice. Māori art is framed as a dynamic, unbroken – though often shaken – lineage of values that persists through a changing, frequently challenging environment.
In these lectures, we will explore how the artist’s hand ensures that customary practices evolve to embrace new possibilities while remaining a living embodiment of cultural authority – an uncompromising assertion of a core identity that empowers Māori to represent themselves as they see themselves, as Māori.
What to expect:
- Mā te kete, ka puāwai te iwi - Through the weaving, the people flourish
- He moko tangata, he moko nō te whenua - The markings of the people are those of the land
- He toi whakairo, he mana tangata - Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity
- He kura kāinga e hokia - A treasured home to return to
Julie Paama-Pengelly – Biography
Julie Paama-Pengelly is a respected Māori artist, writer, educator, tā moko practitioner, and arts leader of Ngāi Te Rangi descent. Over four decades in the visual arts, she has helped shape how Māori art is understood, practised, and taught in Aotearoa.