Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa or Māori Weavers New Zealand is the New Zealand national Māori weavers'

collective A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an e ...

, which aims to foster and preserve

Māori traditional textiles Māori traditional textiles are the indigenous textiles of the Māori people of New Zealand. The organisation Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, the national Māori weavers' collective, aims to preserve and foster the skills of making and using ...

. It has played an important role in facilitating the gathering of weavers of Māori and Pasifika descent to meet, teach and learn from one another. The collective was established when the wider collective of Aotearoa Moananui a Kiwa Weavers, founded by the

Māori and South Pacific Arts Council Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

in 1983, was split into the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

and Pasifika portions of the organisation. This split came about as a result of funding reasons — current

Toi Māori Aotearoa Toi Māori Aotearoa (English: Māori Arts New Zealand) is a charitable trust that promotes Māori traditional arts and Māori artists, both in New Zealand and overseas. Much of Toi Māori's funding comes indirectly from the government, through C ...

funding is specifically targeted at Māori arts. This split of groups occurred in 1994. Te Roopu holds national

hui The Hui people are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the northwestern provinces and in the Zhongyuan region. According to the 2 ...

(attendance of which is required by a number of tertiary courses), regional workshops, publishes a newsletter, coordinates with research funding agencies and publishes books. Emily Schuster of

Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

was the first chairperson.

Diggeress Te Kanawa Diggeress Rangituatahi Te Kanawa (9 March 1920 – 30 July 2009) was a New Zealand Māori people, Māori tohunga raranga (master weaver) of Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Kinohaku descent. At the time of her death she was regarded as New Zealand's ...

was a co-founder. Cath Brown was also a founding member and went on to coordinate the production of the organisation's newsletter. Christina Wirihana is the current chairperson and

Te Hemo Ata Henare Te Hemo Ata Henare is a New Zealand Māori ''tohunga raranga'' (master weaver). Biography Henare's tribal affiliations are with Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine and Te Whakatōhea. She learnt to weave when she was 12 years old. As an adult she be ...

is the deputy chair. There is some overlap of personnel and events with

Māori Women's Welfare League The Māori Women’s Welfare League or Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko I te Ora is a New Zealand welfare organisation focusing on Māori people, Māori women and children. It held its first conference in Wellington, New Zealand, Wellington in Sept ...

, but the League has a much broader remit, longer history and more political outlook.

National hui

The national hui is held biennially at Labour Weekend at different Marae around the country. *1983 Pakirikiri Marae, Tokomaru Bay *1985 Kokohinau Marae, Te Teko *1987 Tunohopu, Rotorua *1988 Omaka Marae, Blenheim *1990 Apumoana Marae, Rotorua *1992 Taurua Marae, Rotoiti, Rotorua *1993 Parihaka Marae, Taranaki *1995 Te Reo Nihi marae, Te Hāpua *1997 Takahanga Marae, Kaikohe *1999 Pakirikiri Marae, Tokomaru Bay *2001 Kokohinau Marae, Te Teko *2003 Awhitu Marae,

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

* 2005 Owae Marae, Waitara * 2007 Maraenui Marae,

Te Kaha Te Kaha is a small New Zealand community situated in the Bay of Plenty near Ōpōtiki. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "the rope" for . The full name of Te Kaha is Te-Kahanui-A-Tikirākau. Te Kaha is a ...

* 2009 Takitimu Marae,

Wairoa Wairoa is the largest town in the Wairoa District and the northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Mā ...

* 2011 Maketu Marae,

Kawhia Kawhia Harbour () is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the south of Raglan Harbour, Ruapuke and Aotea Harbour, 40 kilometres southwest of Hamilton, Ne ...

*2013 Rautahi Marae, Kawerau *2015 Roma Marae, Ahipara *2017 Te Wai-iti Marae, Rotoiti, Rotorua *2019 Ngā Hau e Whā Marae, Christchurch

References

{{Reflist, 2 Professional associations based in New Zealand Māori art Cultural organisations based in New Zealand Textile arts of New Zealand Weaving

National hui

Further reading

References