Āhua Gallery

Pōria Kākā are leg rings crafted from bone or stone used to keep pet kākā (parrots) from flying away. The giant kaka parrot was used by the Māori to assist them during hunting. The bird was used as a decoy to capture other kaka parrots.

As with many Māori items the kaka ring was both used as a tool as well as an adornment.

Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)

Measurements: 35mm x 25mm x 4mm

The word 'piupiu' means 'to swing’ and is also the name for a skirt with free-hanging strands. Piupiu can be worn either around the waist or across one shoulder. They were made in many types of material and styles.

Material: Harakeke

Measurements: 32.5 inches

The Pekapeka (native NZ bat) represents the interwoven nature of the spirit world and the world of the living – the seen and the unseen. The bat was interpreted by Māori as a creature who symbolically acted as an interface between the two worlds and whose physiology (which does not possess the gift of sight) appeared to be guided by the ethereal and the metaphysical.

Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)

Measurements: 60mm x 35mm x 8mm

Patu (meaning to strike or hit) were typically fashioned from native hardwood, whalebone or stone, including our highly valued pounamu (greenstone). Patu were often sharp at their forward edge and were used with thrusting, jabbing and swinging blows.

Māori weapons are notable for their fine sculptural form and were designed for close hand-to-hand combat. No other stone-age war implements surpassed them in deadly effectiveness.

Material: Onewa (NZ Greywacke)

Measurements: 380mm x 100mm

Pāpaka (crab catching stick) originated in Hawaiki (the original homeland of Māori). Rēhua (the god of fish) handed a pāpaka to a rangatira (chief) before his journey to Aotearoa. This pāpaka is part of a limited edition of 12 bronze casts from an original wood carving by Kawana Waititi. The original will remain part of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute legacy collection.

The breastplate represents strength, serving as a shield and offering protection.

Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)

Measurements: 46mm x 19mm x 6mm

The maro is a frontal apron tied around the waist and is a traditional garment that is worn by both men and woman. This maro has been fashioned with strands of muka fibre within the flax.

Maro

Material: Harakeke & Muka

Measurements: 470mm x 340mm

Neck Piece

Material: Harakeke & Muka

Measurements: 305mm x 80mm

The maro is a frontal apron tied around the waist and is a traditional garment that is worn by both men and woman. This maro has been fashioned with strands of muka fibre within the flax.

Material: Harakeke & Muka

Measurements: 680mm x 480mm