I am a contemporary artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Drawing from my Ngāpuhi and English whakapapa, my practice is deeply rooted in investigating the profound contrasts between European colonial cartography and Māori (& Polynesian) navigational methodologies. Where colonial traditions sought to flatten and claim the world through two-dimensional map-making, my Māori ancestors navigated via an intimate, living relationship with the environment, transmitting this deep ecological knowledge through waiata (song) and pūrākau (story).
Through my art, I explore the tension between these distinct ways of seeing and moving through the world. By interrogating these histories, my work challenges dominant colonial narratives and re-centres Māori knowledge systems. Ultimately, my creative practice is an ongoing act of reclaiming sovereignty and honoring the depth, spatial awareness, and vitality of Māori wayfinding.