Maururongo [Ron] Te Kawa, a textile artist and educator, came to Coromandel in August to build a creative space in the Coromandel Citizens Hall

Wailin Elliott and I met at the first Chinese New Zealand Artists Hui, held in 2013 at Corban Estate Arts Centre, where I was the curator. Ten years later I was able to visit Wailin while on a residency at Driving Creek Railway and Pottery. Wailin Elliott is an artist I admire and can relate to as there are distinct parallels between how she forged her practice and the path mine has taken.

Following extensive consultation with the country’s arts sectors during 2023, in early 2024, Creative New Zealand (CNZ) announced a new funding programme, replacing its traditional monthly, highly contested Arts Grants model, which sometimes closed within days of opening.

A few days before Roimata’s Mataraki weekend art show, he agreed to meet up and kōrero about his work and his memories about his first exhibition and his work, prior to what would be his first local solo show.

A Masters of Science in Art psychotherapy gave Shannon the perfect way to combine her interest in working with people, and her love of art.

Some days later after our earlier conversation I visited Roi’s Matariki Art Show tucked away in a corner of Kuaotunu village. This was his first solo show with only his work on show and it gave plenty of time to wander, focus and compare his various styles and works.