Toi Iho: The best of Māori art

New Website Coming Soon – March 2024

Toi Iho was launched at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tāmaki in 2002. Development started in 1996 when Toi Iho became an integral part of the work of Te Waka Toi, the Māori Arts Board of Creative NZ. It is universally agreed that all Māori are the Kaitiaki of Toi Iho with Māori artists in customary and contemporary visual arts, literature, performance, film, music, multi-disciplinarian, whanau, hapu, and iwi all of whom champion indigenous creativity. Now that we are 28 years old we have many projects that will refresh and advance Toi Iho.

The updated Toi Iho Charitable Trust website will be ready soon. We have a new website format and are gradually assembling a comprehensive database about registered Toi Iho creative practitioners and their work across all disciplines.

We have established the Toi Iho IP Roopu, the first specifically indigenous Intellectual Property Group for Māori culture in Aotearoa NZ. Karaitiana Taiuru, Aroha Mead, and Lynell Tyrell Huria. The Terms of Reference for our group will be published soon.

We are developing an online small business professional development wananga about the arts and culture. We are working through our Marketing plan and are developing Toi Iho merchandise and resources.

We are grateful for the generosity and encouragement of many individuals, collectives and organisations who have been with us for the last twenty-eight years. We thank artists in all sectors, retailers, galleries, museums, indigenous communities and New Zealanders everywhere. We thank friends who have helped Toi Iho over the years: Ian Clarke, Huia Jahnke, Aana Adsett, Liz Harte, and many more. We are exceedingly grateful to our most recent funder, Manatū Taonga, the Ministry of Culture and Heritage – MCH.

The Toi Iho Charitable Trust governors comprise four foundation members: Sandy Adsett, Robert Jahnke, Moana Maniapoto, and Elizabeth Ellis, who are delighted to be joined this year by Ana Sciascia, Hemi McGregor, Kereama Taepa, Larissa McMillan, and Ria Hall. We meet monthly via Zoom. Governors are all active volunteers knowledgeable about Māori tikanga and creativity and dedicated to Māori arts and culture. We have part-time staff members, Moira Lomas Project Manager, Elizabeth Hauraki Administrator and our Accountant David Grant.


MĀORI ART & MANATŪ TAONGA 16 October 2023

The Toi Iho Charitable Trust has been granted up to $200,000:

  1. to establish an IP Advisory Team to question, challenge, and report on cultural misappropriation and safeguard Mātauranga Māori,
  2.  to deliver skill development Wānanga for Toi Iho members,
  3.  to create a new updated website and
  4.  to revitalise the national Toi Iho trademark that verifies authentic, high-quality Toi Māori with a marketing initiative.

Members of the Toi Iho Charitable Trust met 29 May 2023 to welcome the grant from MCH. We celebrated the proposed rejuvenation of this trademark of authenticity and high-quality Māori artists and Māori art and culture. Moana Maniapoto, Professor Robert Bob Jahnke, Dr Sandy Adsett, Elizabeth Hauraki and Elizabeth Ellis are highly delighted at the prospect of having the means to reach out and engage with established Tohunga Toi Māori, Te Ara Whakarei. They are the role models for emerging and developing Te Ara Hou rangatahi artists.

Te Toi whakairo, ka ihiihi, ka wehiwehi, ka aweawe te ao katoa.

Artistic excellence makes the world sit up in wonder.

CELEBRATE WITH TOI IHO