Hikurangi Edwards (of Ngāruahine, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-Ā-Apanui and Ngāpuhi descent) meticulously hand-carves into layers upon layers of paint from her Wellington studio, a technique she calls mahi whakairo peita.

Often guided by her tīpuna, she uses contrasting colours to acknowledge contemporary lifestyles, whilst telling stories of the past, present and future. The soft, yet confident curves of the koru give depth and texture, drawing you in to an art that must be touched. All of which speaks to the dichotomy of the two worlds she navigates. 

Hikurangi has shared the following words explaining the meaning behind her pieces;

Raukura - The raukura is an albatross feather and for my Taranaki iwi is the symbol for peace. 

Te Heke - is a series I created to retell the story of our people migrating from their homelands within Aotearoa to find a new home as a result of inter-tribal war in the early 1800s. In particular, Te Rauparaha a great chief who chose to bring his people south from Kāwhia to Kāpiti, Wellington and the top of the South. 

Hōtoke (Winter) - for it's dark colours

Tautoro (Orion's Belt) - I've carved this design a few times now and in different colours and it seem to be a favourite. 

Ngaru ki Tai - Coastal waves - for it's colours and the horizontal lines. 

Rangiātea - is the place from which the waka left to journey to Aotearoa in the great migration. The place itself is not exactly known. There is a
whakatauki that says "he kakano i ruia mai i Rangiatea" - you are a seed from Rangiatea. That's what I saw when I created this piece.