Te Takapū - National Stone & Bone Carving School
Select Subcategory
At Te Takapū, students learn the revered tradition of carving pounamu (Nephrite-Jade/Greenstone), bone and stone.
The school opened on 5 October 2009, expanding on NZMACI’s commitment to maintaining, developing and promoting the arts, crafts and culture of iwi Māori (Māori tribes) as mandated by the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute Act (1963) (History).
The school was first led by Lewis Gardiner who is a well-regarded pounamu artist of his generation.
Stacy Gordine, a renowned artist from the East Coast of New Zealand – and uri of Hone Te Kauru and Pine Taiapa – now leads the programme and is shaping the direction of the wānanga into the future.
Would you like something custom made especially for you? Commission a piece here
Rei Puta - 5271IA
The mark of a high Chief was one who wore the Rei Puta (whale tooth pendant), as the teeth of the Sperm Whale were highly prized because of their rarity. With actual whale teeth being such a rarity, it became common to fashion the tooth form from other materials.
Material: Onewa (NZ Greywacke)
Measurements: 137mm x 41mm x 31mm
$1,750.00
Māhē - 4504MA
Māhē are sinker stones used to weigh down fishing nets.
Material: Waiarohia Pakohe
Measurements: 80mm x 57mm x 58mm
$1,450.00
Patu Onewa - 5461MA
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: 370mm x 96mm x 45mm
$1,300.00
Patu Onewa - 5382IA
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 93mm x 28mm
$1,300.00
Māhē - 4457IA
Māhē are sinker stones used to weigh down fishing nets.
Material: Otaua
Measurements: 42mm x 42mm x 56mm
$1,250.00
Māhē - 4503HW
Māhē are sinker stones used to weigh down fishing nets.
Material: Otaua
Measurements: 70mm X 50mm x 50mm
$1,250.00
Aurei Koruru - 5441KH
Aurei were customarily used as a pin for fastening cloaks and may be made from bone, stone, wood or shell. They may also have been worn through the ear as an earring or around the neck as a pendant. Aurei are still commonly worn as pendants and earrings and as with most Māori personal adornments, are often passed down generationally.
Material: Koiwi (Beef Bone)
Measurements: 124mm x 18mm x 10mm
$1,250.00
Aurei Koruru - 6329HW
Aurei were customarily used as a pin for fastening cloaks and may be made from bone, stone, wood or shell. They may also have been worn through the ear as an earring or around the neck as a pendant. Aurei are still commonly worn as pendants and earrings and as with most Māori personal adornments, are often passed down generationally.
Material: Koiwi (Beef Bone)
Measurements: 157mm x 22mm x 8mm
$890.00
Māhē - 4456IA
Māhē are sinker stones used to weigh down fishing nets.
Material: Otaua
Measurements: 53mm x 31mm x 72mm
$850.00
Aurei Wheku - 5633KC
Aurei were customarily used as a pin for fastening cloaks and may be made from bone, stone, wood or shell. They may also have been worn through the ear as an earring or around the neck as a pendant. Aurei are still commonly worn as pendants and earrings and as with most Māori personal adornments, are often passed down generationally.
Material: Koiwi (Beef Bone)
Measurements: 158mm x 22mm x 12mm
$690.00
Māhē - 4455IA
Māhē are sinker stones used to weigh down fishing nets.
Material: Otaua
Measurements: 42mm x 42mm x 61mm
$650.00
Hei Matau - 6845HW
Coastal and river-based Māori tribes traditionally used a variety of fishhooks and lures. Hooks and lures varied in shape, material and design. Today Hei Matau (fishhooks) have become symbolic of traditional Māori technology and continue to symbolize a relationship to Tangaroa, God of the sea.
Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)
Measurements: 86mm x 58mm
$620.00