Te Tuhi Presents Matariki Owairoa With Chantel Matthews And Howick Village Association

Mythical creatures and symbols turned into Matariki Kaitiaki with the help of local Tamariki: a special Māori-led project carried out by Te Tuhi’s arts brokering programme Arts Out East, artist Chantel Matthews and Howick Village Association to celebrate Matariki 2024 in East Auckland.

Community Flag Project: Matariki Owairoa (31 May – 31 July 2024)

Arts Out East, Te Tuhi’s Arts Brokers promoting arts and culture in the wider East Auckland area, has partnered with the Howick Village Association to deliver a very special project for this year’s Matariki celebrations. This large-scale community project, which has involved nearly 300 local Tamariki guided by the artist Chantel Matthews, has led to the creation and installation of flags along the main street of Howick Village, Picton Street.

Matariki Māori New Year is a time for reflection, remembrance, celebration, and future planning. It encourages us to connect with our whānau and whenua, to care for our environment, and to seek guidance from Te Taiao (the natural world) in our efforts towards Kaitiakitanga (guardianship).

The concept behind this year’s Matariki project has emerged from a series of kōrero with Whaea Taini, from O Wairoa Marae, and Pita Turei, who shared stories and wisdom of Mātauranga Māori. These enriching exchanges, combined with thoughtful research of symbols by Arts Out East broker Briana Woolliams, have inspired the creation of four mythical creatures: Taniwha, Dragon, Tuatara and Tuna. These creatures have been transformed into Matariki Kaitiaki (Guardians) through the drawings of local Tamariki from Owairoa and Mellons Bay Primary School. The involvement of Tamariki and Kaiako highlights the community-driven nature of this project.

The children's drawings, etched into the cosmos of these creatures, come together to form a kind of constellation. Other than just being visually spectacular, the four creatures’ transformation into Matariki Kaitiaki is a testament to the Tamariki's imagination and creativity that transcends the boundaries of their classrooms. It encourages them to look up and beyond, fostering a sense of unity and connection while acknowledging the land, mana whenua (Indigenous authority), and community at the same time.

The four creatures, which come from the sky, land, and sea, act as guardians of the environment and natural resources, preserving them for future generations. Artist Chantel Matthews said about the project: "That which we nourish, will nourish us in return".

Tamariki O Owairoa, Matariki Owairoa (Taniwha) – Tamariki O Mellons Bay, Matariki Owairoa (Tuna). Courtesy of Arts Out East.

Located on each of the flagpoles in Picton Street are QR codes to access more information about the project as well as an online display of all the drawings by both schools as a digital exhibition. Moreover, on Saturday 15 June the artworks got featured on a looped slideshow at Uxbridge Arts Centre for the Matariki Festival in Howick. 

Howick Frames (14 June – 14 October 2024)

Following the flag installation, on Friday 14 June, Chantel Matthews’ work in collaboration with the students from Owairoa and Mellons Bay schools was installed in a series of three posters within the Howick Frames.

Located on a large white wall at 61 Picton Street, the Howick Frames provide a platform for local creatives to showcase their talents in a public setting. The aim is to foster community engagement and celebrate the cultural diversity of Howick.

The Matariki Owairoa designs will be displayed on rotation in the Howick Frames for the next four months, until mid-October 2024. Each month, a different series of images created by local Tamariki will be shown.

About Te Tuhi

Te Tuhi is a leading platform for contemporary art in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a programme consciously and continually shaped towards rigorous, adventurous and socially engaged artistic experimentation. Based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Te Tuhi’s primary focus is on commissioning both national and international artists to make new work by creating stimulating contexts for the artists to respond to and work within. Te Tuhi offers artists and curators opportunities through development programmes, studios, awards, residencies and internships both in New Zealand and overseas. Alongside the gallery in Pakuranga, Te Tuhi runs Parnell Studios and Project Space on the platform of Parnell Station and operates O Wairoa Marae in Howick.

Across multiple venues, Te Tuhi delivers a strong programme of community engagement, including public events integrated into its exhibition programmes, and provides formative art experiences for schools, young people, community groups and people of all backgrounds and ages. Te Tuhi runs Arts Out East, the community arts brokering for the Howick Local Board area in East Auckland, and Te Tuhi Café, Aotearoa’s first training café for people with intellectual disabilities. Te Tuhi is an independent charitable trust supported by Auckland Council and the Contemporary Art Foundation.

About Arts Out East

Arts Out East is a collaborative network for arts and culture in the eastern suburbs of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, home to a thriving multicultural community and a diverse set of cultural practices.

Arts Out East supports creatives in East Auckland, including Howick, Bucklands Beach, Pakuranga, Botany, Beachlands, East Tāmaki and Ormiston, to produce and promote arts and culture events and projects. The aim is to increase the visibility of local arts, to nurture the local creative community and facilitate cultural events in new spaces.

As a community arts service, Arts Out East promotes diverse creative arts in East Auckland by working within the existing creative community, offering support for arts activities and activations for local audiences. The supported projects include art installations, public events, theatre, dance and cultural performances and creative workshops. Local artists, groups, and organisations can register for the Arts Out East network.

Arts Out East is a Te Tuhi programme supported by Howick Local Board.

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