26th june - 22 july 2024

“””Corrinne Tripp: “In 2014, along with my tuakana Georgia we both began our mahi toi journey through Te Wānanga O Aotearoa with the intention of learning how to weave kete, potae and putiputi but as we progressed, what we learned upon reflection, was through being immersed in a te ao Māori space we realised how truly disconnected we had been to our own culture and as a bi product of learning mahi toi and the mātauranga, tikanga, waiata, karakia and pūrākau that go along with it, we were connecting.   This created a desire to want more connection to whanau, hapu and iwi and it all started with kete, potae and putiputi. 

Over the last 10 years Georgia and I have had many korero about how we can help others who are needing a starting point in their reconnection journey. 

In 2022, we decided to create a pilot series of wānanga for wāhine that would encompass Māoritanga.  In 2023, and with the support of Palmerston North City Council creative community scheme, Manawatu District council creative community scheme, Māori Women’s Welfare League Rangitāne we were able to run our pilot wānanga.

Our participants were taught how to weave maro which are the aprons tāne are seen wearing during kapa haka.  All the techniques used to weave these are the same base techniques that can be used to create ngā kakahu such as korowai but in a much smaller and more manageable package and time frame.

This year Ngā Toi Harakeke Charitable Trust was born and through that, Georgia and I along with others will be facilitating more wānanga in an effort to create space for reconnection.”