Toihoukura is the school of

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 C ...

Visual Arts at

Eastern Institute of Technology The Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) is a government owned tertiary education institution with three campuses: Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, and Gisborne, New Zealand. It is also referred to as EIT Hawke's Bay, EIT Tairāwhiti, and EIT Auckland ...

(EIT) and is based in Gisborne,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It is one of New Zealand’s predominant Māori Visual Arts schools. Toihoukura has developed a reputation for being an innovative national centre of Māori art practice, but is also known for its involvement in community projects such as ''

wharenui A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''whare'' ( ...

'' conservation. Students from Toihoukura have worked on

Cliff Whiting Clifford Hamilton Whiting (6 May 1936 – 16 July 2017) was a New Zealand artist, teacher and advocate for Māori heritage. Career In 1955, Whiting began teacher training at Wellington Teachers' College where his artistic talents were quickly ...

’s ''

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

'' at

Te Papa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

and panels used at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Toihoukura is known for the distinctive style of contemporary Māori art it has developed, as well as its '' whare wānanga'' approach to learning.

History

Toihoukura was founded in 1990 by Ivan Ehau at Tairawhiti Polytechnic (now EIT). ''

Tā moko ' is the permanent marking or "tattoo" as traditionally practised by Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It is one of the five main Polynesian tattoo styles (the other four are Marquesan, Samoan, Tahitian and Hawaiian). (tattoois ...

'' artist Derek Lardelli joined the staff in 1992, ''kowhaiwhai'' artist

Sandy Adsett Raymond Henry "Sandy" Adsett (born 27 August 1939) is a New Zealand visual artist and educator. He is acknowledged for championing the art of kōwhaiwhai painting, creating a context for the artform within the development of contemporary Māo ...

in 1993, painter Steve Gibbs in 1994 and weaver

Christina Wirihana Christina Hurihia Wirihana (b 1949) is a New Zealand weaver from Te Arawa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Rangiunora, Ngāti Raukawa, Tainui iwi. Biography Wirihana was born in Rotorua in 1949. Her mother is the renowned weaver Mateki ...

in 2011. The school includes the Maia gallery, a koru-shaped space used for exhibitions with a meeting-house style entry way which was the result of a collaboration between Gisborne architect Graeme Nicholl and Toihoukura tutors.

Philosophy

Toihoukura’s philosophy is to make sure that specifically Māori art forms are continually developed. Toihoukura's philosophy is achieved in a ''wānanga'' learning environment that encourages each student to develop a strong sense of imagery related to their own ancestral ''whakapapa'' (genealogy), while also developing personally and professionally.

Teaching

The faculty currently offers the following programmes:

Certificates

NZ Certificate in ''Ngā Toi: Ka Tipu te Whaihanga''

Degrees

Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts ''(Te Toi o Ngā Rangi)'' ''Te Hono ki Toi (Poutiri-ā-rangi)'' Bachelor of Professional Creative Practice (Honours)

Graduate programmes

''Te Ara Pourewa'': Graduate Diploma in Heritage and Museum Studies

Master

''Te Hono ki Toi (Poutiriao)'' Master of Professional Creative Practice

Ruanuku Award

Each year the top student at Toihoukura is awarded the Ruanuku Award. A piece of the student’s work is given to Tairāwhiti Museum through the support of Professor Jack Richards who has sponsored the prize since 1995.

References

{{reflist 1990 establishments in New Zealand Education in the Gisborne District Gisborne, New Zealand